Camp  Devens 


M^^ 


CAMP    DEVENS 


lltttY.  3— V     J     ■  Ik.     ^        ^1        -^t 


•AYtL  ONTONMtNT 


Courtesy  of  the  V.  M.  C.  A. 


Camp  Devens 


CAMP    DEVENS 

DESCRIBED   AND   PHOTOGRAPHED 

BY 

ROGER    BATCHELDER 

Author  of  ' '  Watching  and  Waiting  on  the  Border  " 
WITH   A    FOREWORD    BY 

Major  ROGER  MERRILL 

Adjutant,  151st  Infantry  Brigade,  Seventy-Sixth  Division,  National  Army,  Camp  Devens 

With  photographs  taken  by  the  author  under  the  official  authorization  of  the  Committee  on 

Public  Information  and  the  War  Department,  and  with  the  endorsement 

of  the  authorities  at  Camp  Devens 


BOSTON 
SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1918 
Hy  Small,  Maynard  &  Company 

(Incorporated) 


O'NEILL  LIBRARV 
BOSTON  COLLial 


FO  REWORD 

Mr.  Roger  Batchelder, 

Sir: — You  are  to  be  congratulated  for  this  accurate  and 
complete  description  by  pen  and  lens  of  Camp  Devens.  For 
us  who  are  here  it  will  be  valued  as  a  record  of  our  early- 
days  when  the  National  Army  was  in  its  swaddling-clothes. 

Later  we  will  search  it  for  a  sight  of  the  familiar  train- 
ing areas,  knowing  that  the  unpainted  exterior  of  Camp 
Devens  mothered  and  trained  lion-hearted  men  for  the 
great  dut}^  to  which  America  has  set  her  will. 

Very  truly  yours, 

ROGER  MERRILL 

Major  A.  G.  R.  C,  isrst  Infantry  Brigade 

Camp  Devens,  December  21,  1917 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

Boston  Library  Consortium  IVIember  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/campdevensOObatc 


THE   BUILDING  OF  CAMP  DEVENS 

Six  months  ago,  the  traveller  on  the  road  between  Ayer  and  Fitchburg  saw  little  to  attract 
his  attention.  About  a  mile  from  the  former  town  began  a  stretch  of  scrub  and  brush,  populated 
only  by  an  occasional  rabbit.  There  was  nothing  unusual  about  this  tract.  It  had  its 
quota  of  hills  and  swamps,  two  or  three  ponds,  and  here  and  there  a  farmhouse.  At  that  time 
the  passers-by  merelj^  noticed  that  it  was  a  particularly  drab  and  imattractive  bit  of  waste.  There 
are  hundreds  of  areas  of  similar  appearance  and  topography  in  New  England. 

The  Httle  town  of  Ayer  was  then  merely  an  ordinary  New  England  village.  The  fact  that  it 
was  the  junction  of  the  Fitchbtirg,  Worcester,  and  Portland  branches  of  the  Boston  and  Maine 
Railroad  added  little  to  its  importance.  In  appearance  the  center  of  Ayer  was  not  unlike  that 
of  a  INIaine  village  of  the  "backwoods"  type.  Commercially,  there  was  only  a  single  street,  lined 
on  one  side,  for  a  space  of  a  few  blocks,  with  the  business  enterprises  of  the  town.  The  village 
had  neither  declined  nor  advanced  during  the  last  half-century;  independent  of  the  outside 
world  and  the  vagueh^  distant  metropolis  of  Boston,  it  had  maintained  a  placid  and  luiruffled 
existence,  the  tranquillity  of  which  was  interrupted  only  by  the  arrival  of  an  occasional  train,  and 
the  advent  and  the  departure  of  the  United  States  mail.  The  two  or  three  hundred  dwellings, 
small,  neat  cottages  belonging,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  respectable,  hardworking  class,  were  the 
only  other  evidences  of  life  in  the  little  village.  As  I  heard  a  native  say:  "In  those  days  Ayer 
was  present,  but  not  voting." 

Upon  our  entrance  into  the  war  of  the  world,  the  order  of  things  changed.  The  military 
authorities,  searching  diHgently  for  a  favorable  site  for  the  projected  divisional  cantonment,  came 
to  Ayer,  \'iewed  the  nearb}^  waste,  and  pondered.  When  the  reports  went  to  Washington,  some- 
one stuck  a  pin  with  a  little  red  flag  on  it  at  the  dot  on  the  map  marked  "Ayer."  The  real  history 
of  the  town  began.  More  military  experts  came,  accompanied  by  engineers  and  men  skilled  in 
planning  enormous  projects.     Eventually  they  agreed  that  the  wilderness  tract  on  the  Fitchburg 

7 


road  should  be  the  training-camp  of  the  youth  of  New  England.  Early  in  June  the  leases 
of  the  land  were  signed,  the  contract  awarded  to  Fred  T.  Ley  Company  of  Springfield,  and  on 
June  1 8  the  vanguard  of  the  army  of  laborers  arrived  at  the  future  Camp  Devens. 

The  construction  of  the  cantonment  of  the  Seventy-sixth  Division  was  a  triumph  of  engineering 
and  contracting  skill,  and  a  monument  to  American  efficiency  and  industry.  Nearly  nine  thousand 
acres  of  virgin  brush  and  swamp,  a  tract  seven  miles  in  length  and  two  in  breadth,  was  trans- 
formed into  a  huge  city  of  soldiers  within  ten  weeks.  Five  thousand  workers,  the  pick  of  the  skilled 
and  unskilled  labor  of  the  state,  were  shipped  to  the  grounds.  Before  any  work  could  be  done, 
quarters  for  these  men  had  to  be  constructed  and  they  were  housed  in  long  shed-like  structures 
of  wood,  covered  vv4th  tar  paper.  Then  the  actual  work  began.  Under  the  supervision  of  Captain 
Edward  L.  Canfield,  Jr.,  the  quartermaster  of  construction,  the  brush  was  cleared,  the  swamp 
drained,  the  terrain  levelled.  As  soon  as  conditions  allowed,  the  carpenters  set  to  work  erecting 
buildings  on  the  cleared  areas.  Surveyors  laid  out  lines  of  barracks  and  mapped  out  the  many 
miles  of  roads.  Day  after  day  the  work  went  on  unceasingly ;  the  wilderness  lost  its  desolate  aspect 
of  former  times,  and  hummed  with  industry.  Throughout  the  day  there  came  the  sounds  of  tire- 
less hammering,  of  digging  and  blasting.  Steam-rollers  toiled  in  every  section  of  the  camp.  A 
great  squadron  of  motor  trucks  ran  in  a  continuous  line  to  and  from  the  spur  of  the  tracks  which 
had  been  extended  to  the  camp,  distributing  endless  supplies  and  equipment. 

The  contractors  did  everything  in  their  power  to  insure  the  health  and  cornfort  of  the  workmen. 
Their  quarters  were  completely  fitted  out  with  the  necessary  equipment  which  they  were  com- 
pelled to  keep  in  the  best  of  condition.  A  great  dining-hall  was  erected,  where  they  might  obtain 
good  food  at  nominal  prices.  The  skilled  laborers  and  office-workers  had  a  restaurant  near 
the  headquarters,  with  a  la  carte  service.  For  the  benefit  of  the  Italian  workers  a  special  restau- 
rant was  built;  here  Italian  chef s prepared  Italian  foods  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  most  discriminating. 
In  the  vicinity  of  the  restaurants  there  sprang  up  the  commercial  center  of  the  camp.  A  barber 
shop  opened  for  business;  an  Italian  store,  a  tobacco  shop,  and  canteens  selling  every  variety  of 
small  merchandise  made  this  center  a  true  shopping-district. 


In  order  to  assure  the  contentment  of  its  employees,  the  contractors  paid  phenomenally  high 
wages,  and  liberally  rewarded  overtime  work.  Unskilled  laborers  earned  up  to  thirty  dollars  a 
week ;  some  members  of  the  skilled  trades  earned  as  much  as  a  hundred  dollars  weekly.  The  pay- 
roll of  the  contractors  amounted  to  over  $100,000  a  week. 

As  soon  as  the  buildings  were  erected,  electricians,  plumbers  and  steam-fitters  started  their 
work.  Shortly  after  the  carpenters  left  a  barrack's,  the  men  of  other  trades  took  possession  and  it 
was  soon  ready  for  occupancy.  It  is  difficult  for  the  uninitiated  to  conceive  the  magnitude  of 
the  work.  In  those  ten  short  weeks,  five  thousand  men  built  1400  buildings,  laid  twenty  miles 
of  road,  installed  2200  shower  baths,  400  miles  of  electric  wiring,  and  60  miles  of  heating  pipes. 
Over  forty  million  board  feet  of  lumber  were  necessary  for  the  stupendous  building  operations. 

The  electric  lights  were  switched  on  for  the  first  time  on  August  30.  Two  days  later  the 
contractors  announced  that  the  camp  was  ready  for  occupancy.  New  England  had  the  unique 
distinction  of  being  the  first  section  to  complete  its  cantonment. 

Major-General  Harry  Foote  Hodges  was  appointed  commander  of  the  new  unit,  the  Seventy- 
sixth  Division,  and  ordered  to  Ayer.  The  subordinate  officers  were,  for  the  most  part,  those  who 
had  received  commissions  at  the  Plattsburg  camp,  with  a  scattering  from  the  regular  army.  In 
honor  of  General  Charles  Devens,  the  illustrious  Civil  War  soldier  of  Worcester  County,  the 
military  authorities  announced  that  the  cantonment  of  the  Northeastern  military  department 
shotild  be  called  "Camp  Devens." 

The  first  draft  men  arrived  at  Camp  Devens  from  Maine  on  September  5 ;  from  that  time  on, 
the  flow  from  all  parts  of  the  district  continued  until  40,000  men  were  within  its  borders.  The 
authorities  distributed  them  immediately  into  the  various  organizations  of  the  camp  till  each  had 
its  full  quota.  Four  regiments  of  infantry  were  established:  the  301st,  302d,  303d  and  304th. 
These  were  installed  in  barracks  on  the  further  side  of  the  divisional  headquarters.  A  depot 
brigade  of  thirteen  battaUons  was  formed.  There  were  three  regiments  of  field  artillery:  the 
301st  and  302dof  light  artillery,  and  the  303d  of  heavy  artillery.  Three  machine-gun  battalions 
the  301st,  302d  and  303d;  the  Headquarters  Train,  comprising  the  301st  Ammunition  Train,  the 


3oist  Supply  Train,  the  301st  Engineers'  Train  and  the  301st  Sanitary  Train;  the  301st  Signal 
Battalion  and  unattached  units  of  the  Quartermaster's  and  Medical  Corps,  and  the  23d  Engineers, 
completed  the  roster  of  organizations  in  the  camp. 
In  general,  the  assignments  were  as  follows: 

301st  Infantry :  Boston. 

302d  Infantry:  Southeastern  Massachusetts. 

303d  Infantry:  Eastern  New  York. 

304th  Infantry:  Connecticut. 

Field  Artillery :  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont. 

Depot  Brigade :  Western  Massachusetts. 

Machine  Gun  Battalions:  Connecticut  and  Northeastern  Massachusetts. 

301st  Engineers:  Rhode  Island. 

Headquarters  Train :  Central  Massachusetts. 

There  are  some  specific  exceptions  to  this  summary,  which  is,  of  course,  subject  to  change 
at  any  time. 

At  first  the  men  were  scantily  equipped  with  rifles,  uniforms,  and  other  military  accoutre- 
ments. Eventually  the  supplies  poured  in  so  freely  that  there  were  enough  tmiforms  and  equip- 
ment to  outfit  properly  each  man. 

There  are  now  thirty  thousand  soldiers  at  Ayer;  the  average  has  been  forty  thousand,  and 
at  one  time  there  were  forty-eight  thousand  within  the  borders  of  the  Camp.  Take  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  Fitchburg,  or  half  the  people  of  Springfield  or  Hartford,  put  them  in  a  field  of  9000  acres 
and  you  have  some  idea  of  the  population  of  Camp  Devens.  And  it  is  not  only  a  city  in  terms  of 
population,  but  also  in  many  other  ways.  This  military  city  has  a  post-office,  a  telegraph  office, 
a  telephone  switchboard,  several  police  stations  or  guard-houses,  an  adequate  fire  department,  an 
excellent  hospital,  a  restaurant,  a  theatre  and  many  other  like  institutions.  Its  police  system  is 
perfect,  and  is  far  better  than  any  municipal  department  in  the  country. 


The  spirit  of  the  draft  men  has  been  admirable.  Few  wanted  to  leave  their  families,  their 
homes,  their  businesses;  but  when  they  found  that  they  were  needed,  they  responded  to  a  man. 
There  are  manj^  discomforts  in  the  life  of  a  soldier,  and  these  men  were  most  of  them  untried 
and  untrained  by  hardships.  Nevertheless,  they  are  contented  and,  if  they  complain,  it  is  with 
a  smile  on  their  faces.  The  transition  from  civil  to  military  life  has  been  abrupt,  the  difficulties 
of  training  men  at  Ayer  have  been  many,  but  the  path  ahead  is  clear  and  when  the  crucial  test 
comes,  the  enemy  will  find  that  the  American  Citizen,  trained  as  a  soldier,  is  second  to  none. 

This  book  is  intended  primarily  for  the  soldiers  at  Ayer,  and  for  their  friends  and  families 
at  home.  To  the  boys  in  camp  it  is  hoped  that  it  may  serve  as  a  memento  of  their  army  life, 
their  companions,  their  work  and  their  play.  Those  who  are  unacquainted  with  military  life  will 
be  able  better  to  appreciate  what  it  all  means.  They  will  see  where  their  boys  live,  how  they  live, 
and  will  realize  the  progress  they  have  made  and  are  making.  Are  the  boys  happy  ?  In  answer 
to  that  question  so  often  asked,  I  refer  you  to  any  one  of  the  pictures.  Most  of  the  men  have 
broad  grins;  all  are  smiling.  These  pictures  illustrate  the  Ayer  spirit,  and  the  spirit  which  will 
bring  us  peace  with  victory. 

For  permission  to  reprint  several  pictures  of  the  incoming  draft  increments,  I  wish  to  acknowl- 
edge the  cotirtesy  of  the  Boston  Herald ;  I  am  also  indebted  to  R.  W.  Barton  of  Cambridge,  and 
to  the  following  officers  of  Camp  Devens:  Major  Roger  Merrill,  isist  Brigade;  Captain  Leslie 
E.  Thompson,  Adjutant,  304th  Infantry;  Captain  Charles  D.  Case,  304th  Infantry;  Captain 
Weston  B.  Flint,  Depot  Brigade;  Lieutenant  Russell  Codman,  Depot  Brigade;  Lieuten- 
ant E.  C.  Wynne,  Adjutant  General's  Department;  Lieutenant  Julian  Lathrop,  303d  H.  F.  A. ; 
Captain  Brown  and  Lieutenant  Hal  S.  White  of  the  Intelligence  Department,  and  above  all,  to 
the  enhsted  personnel  of  the  camp  whose  aid  and  co-operation  enabled  me  to  prepare  this  volume. 

December  20,  191 7  Roger  Batchelder 


THE   MOBILIZATION    OF   THE   CITIZENS 


On  June  5,  191 7,  each  one  of  these  men 
registered  at  a  booth  in  his  city  or  town.  He 
answered  innumerable  questions  about  his  past, 
present  and  probable  future  histor\-.  Then  he 
went  home  and,  perhaps,  forgot  all  about  it. 
But  Uncle  Sam  did  not  forget.  On  an  eventful 
day  in  July, — the  twenty -eighth  — that  national 
guardian  of  ours  picked  a  multitude  of  slips 
from  a  huge  bowl  in  Washington.  On  each 
slip  was  a  number;  one  of  these  numbers  was 
458.  The  machinery'  of  war  then  started  to 
move.  Number  458  in  one  district  was,  let  us 
saj-,  John  Jones  of  Boston.  For  five  years, 
John  had  been  working  in  a  grocery  store,  driv- 
ing a  taxi,  or  selling  tickets  in  a  theatre.  He 
received  a  letter  from  an  exemption  board  order- 
ing him  to  appear  for  examination.  He  was 
physically  fit  and  was  passed  by  the  doctors. 

Then  John  went  home  and  waited.  Several 
weeks  later  he  received  another  letter,  telling 
him  that  he  was  to  be  a  soldier  and  ordering 
him  to  report  at  the  board  office  at  eight  o'clock 
the  next  d^y.     That  afternoon  he  called  on  his 


friends  and  said  good-bye,  and  in  the  evening 
he  went  to  see  the  one  girl  in  the  world  and  then 
returned  home  to  have  a  chat  with  the  folks. 

The  following  morning  he  awoke  at  six 
o'clock.  He  laid  his  best  suit  on  the  top  shelf  of 
the  closet  and  put  on  an  old  suit  of  working 
clothes.  At  the  breakfast  table,  his  father  was 
unusually  silent ;  the  small  brother  cast  envious 
glances  at  the  hero ;  mother  and  sister  began  to 
cry  softly.  John  told  them  not  to  worrj' ;  he'd 
have  the  Germans  beaten  by  spring  at  the  latest. 
Soon  he  kissed  the  family  good-bye  and  started 
for  the  office  of  the  board. 

There  he  found  a-  group  of  twenty  other 
John  Joneses,  Harry  Browns  and  Bill  Smiths, 
and  he  learned  that  their  experiences  had  been 
identical  with  his  own.  The  chairman  of  the 
board  spoke  a  few  words  to  them,  several 
political  leaders  shook  their  hands,  slapped  their 
backs,  and  marched  them  down  the  street  to 
the  station.  And  now  John  and  his  newly-made 
friends  are  waiting  for  the  train,  under  the 
watchful  eye  of  the  board  chairman. 


12 


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"All  Aboard  for  Ayer" 


THE  ARRIVAL  AT  AYER 


When  Jones  and  his  companions  get  into  the 
cars,  they  find  many  others  from  adjacent  dis- 
tricts with  them.  Some  cannot  speak  English 
well;  but  nevertheless,  they  all  talk  at  once. 

"Did  you  claim  exemption?" 

"Are  you  married?" 

"What  do  you  do  with  these  checks?" 

The  last  question  refers  to  the  tags  which 
had  been  distributed  by  the  board  official. 
They  bear  the  district  number  and  the  num- 
ber which  has  been  assigned  to  the  prospective 
soldier.  These  were  given  out  for  identification 
purposes,  so  that  the  camp  officers  will  know 
where  the  man  comes  from  if  he  forgets  his  dis- 
trict, or  is  unable  coherently  to  express  himself. 

"I  haven't  got  a  ticket,"  declares  someone. 

Then  it  is  explained  that  tickets  are  not 
necessary,  as  the  government  has  provided 
transportation  facilities  without  charge  to  the 
draft  men. 

"This  is  the  first  free  ride  I  ever  had,"  an- 
nounces another  with  a  broad  grin. 

One  man  produces  a  pack  of  cards  and  starts 
a  game  of   "pitch."     There  is  soon  a  group 


around  the  players,  watching  critically  every 
phase  of  the  game.  Other  men  follow  this 
example  and  shortly  there  are  several  games  in 
progress.     Then  comes  singing. 

After  an  hour  the  brakeman  enters  the  car 
and   cries : 

"Ayer.     All  out,  boys." 

There  is  a  wild  scramble  for  the  bundles  and 
suitcases.  Eventually  the  men  are  out  on 
the  platform.  A  sergeant  comes  up  to  our 
group  and  asks  Jones : 

"District  21?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  answers  Jones,  saluting  in  Boy 
Scout  fashion. 

"Don't  salute  and  call  me  'sir,'"  says  the 
sergeant,  one  of  the  regular  army  men.  "I'm 
not  an  officer.  Better  wait  until  you  know 
how,    anyway." 

"This  way,  boys,"  shouts  a  cavalryman, 
mounted  on  a  spirited  Western  horse,  which 
bears  the  brand  "U.S."  on  its  flank.  "Fall  in 
line  and  follow  me." 

Then  he  leads  them  majestically  from  the 
station. 


14 


Leaving  the  Station  at  Ayer 


EN  ROUTE  TO  THE  CAMP 


"Gee,  what  a  hick  town!" 

With  this  announcement  the  Boston  men 
greet  Aver.  Many  of  them  have  never  before 
been  in  the  rural  districts  of  the  state,  and  the 
lack  of  movement  and  excitement  is  to  them  in- 
conceivable. The  few  pedestrians  —  natives, 
for  the  most  part  —  stare  curiously  at  the  new 
arrivals,  and  the  latter  in  turn  stare  back.  The 
curiosity  of  the  people  of  Ayer  is  only  natural, 
for  the  draft  men  have  an  astounding  variety-  of 
clothing.  Here  is  a  machinist  with  a  flannel 
shirt  and  woolen  suit  stained  with  grease; 
next  to  him  is  a  college  man,  who,  disregarding 
the  advice  that  old  clothes  be  worn,  has  dressed 
himself  in  the  height  of  fashion.  There  are 
all  kinds  of  hats :  derbies,  straws,  caps,  and  soft 
hats  of  ever\-  style,  color  and  degree  of  an- 
tiquity. Conscript  Thomdike  of  Boston  chats 
amiabh'  -w-ith  his  former  boot -black,  Tonj- 
Peroni,  of  Stmimer  Street.  And  at  the  end 
of  the  line  is  a  taxi  driver  who  has  often  driven 
the  rich  man  about  town.  Some  of  the  men 
have  been  soldiers  before  and  wear  their  old 
uniforms;  others,  desiring  to  "cut  a  dash"  in  a 


mihtar\^  way,  have  purchased  ready-made 
uniforms  of  doubtful  qualit}*  and  fit. 

The  men  regard  curiously  evers'  soldier  whom 
they  see.  The  only  soldiers  now  at  camp  are 
members  of  the  regular  army.  Thej'  are  per- 
fectly tmiformed  and  precisely  correct  in  their 
every  move.  It  is  on]y  natural  that  they 
should  regard  the  novices  with  the  slightest 
bit  of  disdain;  they  cannot  realize  that  within 
a  year  these  men  will  occupy  the  same  trench 
with  them,  "Somewhere  in  France."  And 
similarly,  the  draft  men  look  up  to  the  soldiers 
as  demi-gods;  their  perfection  is  only  too  ob- 
\'ious  to  the  "rookies,"  and  thej'  understand 
that  these  soldiers  are  trained  men,  those  who 
have  carried  the  colors  in  the  Philippines,  in 
Cuba,  or  even  in  Alexico. 

"Is  that  feller  a  colonel?"  asks  Jones  of  a 
companion  who  has  seen  service  ■with  the  mil- 
itia.    He  points  to  the  leader  of  the  line. 

"Xaw,  of  course  not,  he's  only  a  private. 
You  don't  suppose  a  colonel  would  bother  about 
us,  do  you?" 


I6 


"Camp  Devens,  Next! 


ENTERING  THE   GROUNDS 


The  men  walk  down  the  street  for  half  a 
mile,  cross  the  railroad  tracks,  and  come  in 
sight  of  the  camp. 

"Well,  will  you  look  at  that?"  cries  Brown  in 
an  awe-struck  voice. 

"Some   little   camp,    what?" 

"I  thought  we  were  going  to  live  in  tents. 
Wooden  buildings,  it  looks  to  me." 

The  procession  halts  at  the  main  gate.  The 
trooper  dismounts,  salutes  an  officer,  and  asks 
for  instructions.     The  major  consults  a  book. 

"District  forty -four,  depot  brigade,"  he  an- 
notmces. 

"Orderly,  have  these  men  examined  and  then 
report  to  Captain  Reed,  4th  Battalion.  North 
Adams  men,  aren't  you?  District  twenty-one 
goes — " 

The  column  goes  through  the  gate  and  up 
the  main  highway. 

A  bugle  blows.  At  this,  the  first  sign  of 
military  activity,  the  men  glance  around  dubi- 
ously. 

"What's  that?"  asks  one. 

"Mess-call,"  answers  the  cavalryman  curtly. 


"Mess-call?" 

"Yes,  mess,  chuck,  grub,  food,  don't  you 
get  that?" 

Soon  they  come  to  the  cross-roads  and  are 
enabled  to  get  a  good  view  of  the  camp.  To 
the  left  are  the  artillery  barracks,  and  further 
along,  Baldwin's  Restaurant.  Thousands  of 
laborers,  their  white  badges  pinned  conspicu- 
ously on  their  hats,  are  making  a  mad  rush  for 
dinner.  From  all  parts  of  the  camp  they  come, 
leaving  their  implements  behind  them.  They 
regard  the  coming  soldiers  in  a  friendly  man- 
ner and  wave  their  arms  in  every  direction  as  if 
to  say : 

"See  what  I've  done  for  you.     Isn't  it  a 
good  job?" 

Around  the  bend  the  column  goes,  every  man 
hot  and  perspiring.  On  the  right  is  the  parade 
ground,  stretching  along  for  half  a  mile.  On 
one  side  of  it  the  men  see  long  lines  of  infantry 
barracks  laid  out  in  perfect  order.  In  front 
of  them  is  the  depot  brigade,  —  their  desti- 
nation. 


18 


The  Arrival  at  the  Camp 


EXAMINING   THE  NEW   ARRIVALS 


This  picture  shows  a  Heutenant  of  the  medical 
corps  examining  a  group  of  newly-arrived 
draft  men.  It  is  illustrative  of  the  care  which 
the  men  have  received  from  the  beginning. 
Each  man  who  was  drawn  in  the  draft  was 
examined  by  a  local  board  and  passed  or  re- 
jected by  them.  Every  man  who  underwent 
this  primary  examination,  and  was  subsequent- 
ly accepted  by  the  local  board,  was  theoretically 
in  good  phj^sical  condition.  The  army  regu- 
lations stated  specifically  that  none  but  the 
physically  fit  should  be  taken  into  service. 
The  medical  authorities  were  greatly  surprised 
and  annoyed  when,  on  superficial  examina- 
tions like  this  one,  they  found  men  who  were 
obviously  unfit  for  service. 

After  the  men  had  been  in  camp  for  a  few 
days,  they  were  thoroughly  looked  over  by  the 
officers  of  the  medical  corps.  In  many  cases 
the  latter  found  that  flagrant  violations  of  the 
rule  had  been  made  by  the  local  physicians. 
Men  came  to  the  camp  who  could  see  nothing 


without  glasses.  Some  had  missing  fingers 
or  toes.  I  saw  one  man  whose  right  leg  was 
three  inches  shorter  than  the  left.  A  medical 
officer  told  me  that  certain  districts  were  worse 
than   others. 

This  state  of  affairs  caused  much  unneces- 
sary trouble  for  the  authorities.  When  a  super- 
ficial examination  was  so  fruitful  in  bad  results, 
complete  examinations  were  of  course  necessary. 
Men  who  could  not  be  retained  were  sent  home 
immediately ;  those  whose  condition  might  be 
remedied  by  treatment  went  to  the  base  hos- 
pital until  they  were  fit  for  duty. 

The  great  majority  of  the  district  boards 
did  their  work  well,  according  to  the  officers; 
many  have  clean  records.  Those  which  refused 
to  comply  with  the  regulations  in  order  to  fill 
the  quota  from  their  districts  not  only  ham- 
pered greatly  the  efforts  of  the  camp  doctors, 
but  also  caused  great  and  unnecessary  expense 
to  the  government. 


20 


"Let's  See  Your  Teeth!" 


PHYSICAL   TRAINING 


It  is  axiomatic  that  perfect  physical  condi- 
tion is  requisite  to  military  efficiency.  Army 
leaders  not  only  encovirage  exercise  on  the  part 
of  the  men  but  also  require  a  certain  amount 
of  physical  training  as  a  part  of  the  day's  work. 
The  systems  and  the  methods  of  carrying  them 
out  differ  in  many  organizations,  but  in  each 
of  them  a  certain  procedure  is  religiously  and 
regularly  followed. 

Some  company  commanders  have  a  so-called 
"setting-up"  exercise  before  the  morning  mess, 
directly  after  the  reveille  roll-call.  This  is  in 
charge  of  a  sergeant  who  has  been  designated 
by  the  commanding  officer.  The  company  is 
extended  so  that  there  is  an  interval  of  two 
paces  between  each  two  men,  and  four  paces 
between  ranks.  First  the  sergeant  illustrates 
and  explains  the  exercises  to  be  performed; 
then  the  company  joins  him.  There  are  certain 
groups  of  four  different  exercises  prescribed  in 
the  manual,  and  after  the  company  has  prac- 
tised for  some  time  the  sergeant  has  merely  to 
say:  "Company,  attention.  First  group,  one- 
two-three — " 


The  men  then  go  through  the  entire  group 
without  command. 

Sometimes  the  "setting-up"  is  performed  by 
battalions,  as  in  this  picture.  The  men  march 
to  an  open  field,  remove  their  hats,  coats,  and 
blouses  and  go  through  the  movements  en 
masse.  When  the  soldier  has  mastered  the 
minor  exercises,  he  is  taught  to  perform  others 
with  a  rifle. 

This  training  is  not  carried  on  in  a  super- 
ficial manner,  but  in  accordance  with  certain 
definite  principles  of  physical  development. 
Each  movement  has  for  its  object  the  building 
up  of  some  member  or  set  of  muscles;  by  a 
combination  of  all,  every  part  of  the  soldier's 
body  receives  benefit,  and  whatever  minor  de- 
ficiencies he  may  have  are  overcome. 

And  so,  if  upon  your  arrival  at  Camp  Devens 
you  perceive  a  body  of  half  dressed  men, 
gyrating  and  bending  in  an  astounding  manner, 
do  not  concern  yourself  as  to  their  sanity ;  they 
are  merely  having  "setting-up  drill." 


After  the  SETiiNG-ui'  Drill 


LOOKING  NORTH   FROM   BOULDER  HILL 


In  the  foreground,  on  the  further  side  of  the 
road,  is  the  commercial  center  of  the  camp.  The 
large  sign  of  Baldwin's  Restaurant  is  visible 
through  the  trees.  Formerly  this  cafeteria 
was  controlled  by  the  Baldwin  Company,  a 
private  concern,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
militar}'  authorities  and  contractors.  Recentty, 
however,  it  was  taken  over  by  the  government; 
it  is  now  under  the  dominion  of  the  Quarter- 
master's Corps  and  the  ticket  sellers,  cooks,  and 
waiters  are  aU  enlisted  men  in  the  department. 

The  interior  of  the  building  is  most  interest- 
ing at  meal-time.  It  is  filled  with  soldiers  who 
prefer  the  food  here  to  that  of  their  own  mess- 
halls,  and  those  who  have  been  assigned  to  this 
place  by  the  authorities.  The  men  pass  through 
a  gate  at  the  left  and  receive  the  food  from  a 
counter  in  the  rear.  There  is  no  choice  of 
dishes;  certain  menus  are  prescribed  for  each 


meal.  As  the  diner  enters  the  main  hall  by 
another  gate,  he  receives  a  check  on  which  the 
amount  due  is  punched.  He  then  eats  at  one 
of  the  long  wooden  benches,  and  pays  his  check 
as  he  leaves  the  hall  by  a  third  gate. 

In  the  rear  of  Baldwin's  can  be  seen  the  bar- 
racks of  the  301st  Light  Field  Artillery',  and  in 
the  distance,  the  top  of  the  Hostess  House  and 
the  administrative  building  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
The  two  chimneys  are  those  of  the  plants  which 
heat  the  buildings  in  the  vicinit3^  The  road  in 
front  runs  by  the  quarters  of  the  303  d  Heavy 
Field  Artiller>^  to  the  Quartermasters'  Corps 
and  the  railroad.  The  road  at  the  extreme 
left,  running  perpendiciilar  to  it,  is  the  main 
highway  of  the  camp  and  runs  from  the 
Depot  Brigade,  in  the  rear,  to  the  main  gate, 
which  lies  in  the  direction  of  the  center  cf  the 
panorama. 


24 


Baldwin's    and  the  301ST  L.  F.  A. 


A  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF   CAMP   DEVENS 


Looking  due  west  from  Boulder  Hill,  one 
can  see  a  greater  part  of  the  cantonment. 
Directly  in  front,  behind  the  pines,  are  the  bar- 
racks of  the  301st  Engineers.  Beyond  the 
pond,  at  the  right,  is  one  end  of  the  huge 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Auditorium.  Past  the  engineers' 
quarters,  looking  across  the  clearing  to  the 
buildings  at  the  left  of  the  prominent  smoke- 


stacks, are  the  barracks  of  the  Depot  Brigade. 
Below  the  skj'-line,  in  the  center  of  the  pictiure 
we  have  the  303  d  and  304th  Infantry,  and  look- 
ing over  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Auditorium  at  the 
right,  one  sees  the  barracks  of  the  301st  and 
302 d  Infantry.  The  conspicuous  chimneys 
mark  the  situation  of  the  various  heating- 
plants  of  the  camp. 


26 


Looking  West  from  Boulder  Hill 


TOWN  AND   CAMP 


(i)  Main  Street  of  Ayer 
The  little  town  has  changed  greatly  since 
June,  191 7,  when  business  was  humdrum  and 
life  was  unexciting.  Now  the  soldier-popu- 
lation of  30,000  men  has  removed  from  this 
street  many  traces  of  its  former  rusticity. 
Boston  merchants  rented  stores  and  equipped 
them  in  the  true  metropolitan  fashion.  The 
town  merchants,  fearing  this  competition, 
brushed  the  cobwebs  from  their  windows, 
stocked  up  with  every  necessity  and  luxury, 
and  installed  electric  milk-shakers  and  cash 
registers.  There  now  seems  to  be  a  race  be- 
tween the  natives  and  the  ^asiting  merchants  to 
see  which  can  charge  the  highest  prices  for 
their  wares ;  at  last  reports  the  local  tradesmen 
were  miles  ahead. 

(2)  Automobile  Row,  .\t  the  Station 
The  prospective  visitor  at  Camp  Devens, 
upon  arriving  at  the  station,  falls  prey  to  that 
species  of  vultiu-e  commonly  known  as  the 
jitney  driver.  These  motorists  were  formerly 
the  farm  hands,  station  agents  and  second-stcry 
men  of  the  vicinity.  When  the  troops  came  to 
Ayer,   they   purchased  jitneys  which  were  in 


every  stage  of  dilapidation  and  inaugiorated 
a  motor  service  to  and  from  the  camp.  At 
first,  they  charged  the  soldiers  atrocious  prices, 
but  eventually  the  various  units  purchased 
huge  'busses  of  their  own  and  ran  in  competition. 
The  stranger  will  do  well  to  assure  himself  before 
embarkation  that  he  will  be  charged  only  the 
fixed  price  of  twenty-five  cents,  and  to  renew 
his  life  ■  insurance  policy  before  venturing  on 
the  perilous  journey. 

(3)  A  Supply  Wagon 
It  is  a  common  thing  to  see  the  heavy, 
rumbling  supply  wagons  in  the  streets  of  Ayer, 
bringing  rations  and  other  necessities  to  the 
camp.  They  are  drawn  by  the  most  efficient, 
yet  the  most  vicious,  beasts  of  burden  on  earth 
—  the  government  army  mules. 

(4)  The  Main  Gate 
If  the  visitor  arrives  by  trolley  at  the  camp, 
he  leaves  the  car  at  this  gate;  practically  all 
traffic  enters  and  leaves  here,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Sunday  rush,  when  the  upper  gate 
is  pressed  into  active  service.  Military  police, 
wearing  the  blue  arm  band  inscribed  "M.  P.," 
are  constantly  on  guard. 


28 


(i)     "Broadway" 


(2)     Automobile  Row 


(3)    A  Supply  Wagon 


(4)    The  Main  Gate 


THE   DIVISIONAL    HEADQUARTERS 


This  building  is  the  military  center  of  the 
camp,  and  the  headquarters  of  the  76th  divi- 
sion. Here  are  the  offices  of  the  commanding 
general  and  his  staff,  and  the  headquarters  of 
the  principal  administrative  departments  of 
the  camp. 

The  officers  who  comprise  the  staff  and  "make 
the  wheels  go  round"  at  Aver  are: 

Major-General  Harry  Fcote  Hodges,  Division 
Commander;  Lieutenant  W.  W.  Cowgill,  Aide- 
de-Camp;  Lieutenant-Colonel  M.  B.  Stewart, 
Chief  of  Staff;  Major  J.  M.  Wainwright,  Assist- 
ant Chief  of  Staff;  Captain  Arthur  F.  Brown, 
Assistant  Chief  cf  Staff;  Major  Hslttj  L. 
Hodges,  Division  Adjutant;  Captain  T.  E. 
Burleigh,  Assistant  Division  Adjutant;  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel D.  M.  Daltcn,  Division  Quarter- 
master; Major  A.  A'l.  Pardee,  Division  In- 
spector; Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  K.  Masse,  Divi- 
sion Judge  Advocate;  Major  G.  M.  Peek, 
Division  Ordnance  Officer;  Colonel  F.  A.  Pope, 
Division  Engineer  Officer;  Major  Chas.  A. 
Lewis,  Division  Signal  Officer;  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  John  W.   Hanner,   Division  Svu-geon; 


Major  J.  L.  Siner,  Division  Sanitary  Officer; 
Captain  A.  E.  Foote,  Division  Post  Exchange 
Officer. 

These  officers  are  the  experts  of  their  branches 
of  the  service  and  it  is  through  them  that  all 
orders  and  memoranda  are  promulgated  and 
distributed  to  the  various  departments  of  the 
camp. 

The  headquarters  is  on  a  high  hill  about  a 
half-mile  from  the  main  entrance.  The  flag 
on  its  tall  pole,  the  largest  banner  in  the  camp, 
is  visible  from  nearly  every  part  of  the  canton- 
ment. 

The  interior  of  the  building  reminds  one  of 
the  offices  of  a  big  corporation.  Orderlies  are 
running  to  and  fro,  bringing  in  reports,  or  taking 
out  memoranda  to  be  quickly  distributed  by 
motor-cycle  riders.  The  doors  in  the  front 
of  the  building  open  into  the  administrative 
offices,  which  are  equipped  with  desks  and 
office-chairs,  and  are  literally  filled  with  official 
documents ;  the  walls  of  the  rooms  are  covered 
with  maps,  notices  and  typographed  memo- 
randa. 


30 


Headquarters,  76TH  Division 


A  Y.  M.  C.  A.  HUT 


The  greatest  non-military  organization  which 
has  ever  become  attached  to  the  army  is  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  To  the  soldier,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Hut  is  a  fraternity,  a  church,  a  theatre,  a  com- 
mon meeting-place,  possessing  none  of  the  or- 
dinary disadvantages  of  some  of  those  institu- 
tions. As  soon  as  the  workers  learned  that  an 
encampment  was  to  be  built  at  Devens,  they 
made  plans  to  organize.  Fourteen  buildings 
were  constructed  in  the  various  sections  cf  the 
camp.  There  is  one  main  administrative  build- 
ing near  the  field  artillery  quarters,  an  auditor- 
ium to  accommodate  3000  men,  and  nine  huts 
similar  to  that  in  the  picture. 

At  one  end  of  the  building  there  is  a  stage 
where  the  entertainments  and  performances 
are  produced.  The  main  part  of  the  room  is 
filled  with  benches  on  which  there  is  an  ample 
supply  of  writing  paper,  pens  and  ink. 

Movies  are  shown  frequently;  often  the  local 
talent  of  nearby  units  entertain  their  companies, 
and  there  are  frequent  boxing  and  wrestling 
matches,  and  similar  forms  of  exercise  and 
amusement.      The  walls  are  lined  with  book- 


cases which  contain  every  type  of  book  which 
a  "live"  man  might  care  to  read.  In  a  box 
near  the  center  of  the  room  are  piled  the  current 
magazines  and  newspapers. 

On  Sunday,  the  Association  holds  three 
services,  which  are  the  only  religious  activities 
on  the  weekly  calendar.  The  rest  of  the 
week,  the  Y  men  seek  to  entertain,  amuse  and 
gain  the  confidence  of  their  proteges,  and 
thereby  exert  a  beneficial  influence  over  them. 
The  success  of  this  organization  is  undoubted; 
men  who  have  never  been  in  a  church  or  a 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  before  naturally  fiock  to 
the  army  huts.  Ask  the  soldier  what  he  thinks 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  his  enthusiastic  answer 
will  surprise  you.  The  men  realize  that  these 
huts  are  for  them,  and  that  every  one  of  the 
fifty  workers  in  Camp  Devens  is  their  friend, 
and  is  doing  his  best  to  make  them  comfortable 
and  happy. 

Kenneth  Robbie,  the  General  Camp  Secre- 
tary, assisted  by  an  administrative  staff  of 
seven,  has  charge  of  the  Camp  Devens  Associa- 
tion. 


32 


y  Hut,  Number  29 


THE  HOSTESS  HOUSE 


The  Hostess  House,  which  was  btdlt  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  stands  on  a 
high  bluff  near  the  301st  Light  Field  Artillery, 
a  short  distance  from  the  main  road.  It  was 
erected  for  the  benefit  of  women  who  visit  the 
camp.  Formerly  the  wives  and  woman  visitors 
of  the  soldiers  had  no  place  of  meeting;  the 
barracks  and  Y  huts  were  obviously  inconven- 
ient for  them,  and  when  they  desired  to  eat,  it 
was  necessary  for  them  to  return  to  the  town. 
On  November  26,  191 7,  this  new  house  was 
opened  to  the  public,  and  was  placed  in  the 
charge  of  several  lady  attendants.  All  women 
who  come  to  the  camp  are  invited  to  share  the 
hospitality  of  the  Association.  If  a  mother  ar- 
rives at  nine  in  the  morning  and  finds  that  her 
son  will  not  be  at  liberty  until  noon,  she  goes  to 
the  Hostess  House  until  that  time  comes.  Not 
only  women  and  their  escorts  are  welcome,  but 


also  any  of  the  boys  who  wish  to  wait  for  friends, 
or  taste  a  little  home  cooking. 

The  dining  room,  which  is  of  the  cafeteria 
type,  is  becoming  more  popular  every  day. 
Men  are  accustomed  to  bring  their  friends  for 
dinner,  tea  or  supper.  A  special  breakfast  is 
served  on  Sunday. 

This  organization  has  charge  of  the  Woman's 
Employment  Bureau,  and  is  doing  excellent 
work  in  that  field.  The  Board  attempts  to 
obtain  positions  as  housekeepers  in  the  neighbor- 
hood for  soldiers'  wives,  so  that  they  can  be 
near  their  husbands.  Thus  far,  every  applica- 
tion has  been  filled  and  many  women  have  been 
enabled  to  earn  money  and  at  the  same  time 
remain  in  the  vicinity  of  the  camp.  The 
Board  stipulates  that  all  people  who  hire  sol- 
diers' wives  shall  allow  the  husbands  to  visit 
them  at  the  homes. 


34 


The  Hostess  House 


THE   KNIGHTS  OF   COLUMBUS 


This  organization  is  doing  excellent  work 
at  the  camp.  One  notices  on  each  of  its  signs 
the   inscription:  "All   Welcome." 

"I  want  to  emphasize  the  significance  of  those 
two  words,"  one  of  the  secretaries  told  me. 
"Some  people  think  that  the  K.  of  C.  building  is 
for  Catholics  alone,  but  that  is  by  no  means  the 
case.  It  makes  no  difference  whether  a  man  is 
a  Catholic,  a  member  of  the  society,  or  not;  if 
he  isn't,  he  will  receive  the  same  cordial  treat- 
ment as  any  one  else.  We  are  not  doing  this 
work  for  the  K.  of  C.  men  alone;  we  are  doing 
if  for  our  soldiers,  and  we  want  every  American 
soldier  to  make  our  house  his  headquarters." 

This  is  a  typical  example  of  the  co-operative 
spirit  of  the  non-military  workers  at  the  camp. 
The  Knights  of  Columbus  have  three  large  huts 
at  Ayer,  and  a  dozen  men  in  charge  of  them. 
The  interior  of  the  huts  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings.  Each  one  is  fitted 
with  basket-ball  apparatus,  and  has  a  piano, 


a  complete  library,  and  writing  materials. 
Thomas  C.  Moore,  of  the  Ayer  Council,  has 
charge  of  the  cantonment  work  and  is  assisted 
by  men  from  other  New  England  Councils. 

An  innovation  at  Devens  is  the  organization 
of  an  elimination  basket-ball  league.  Each 
unit  in  the  camp  has  been  invited  to  form  a 
representative  team  and  will  play  at  the  K.  of  C. 
buildings  for  the  championship  of  the  division. 
There  are  also  frequent  boxing  matches  under 
the  supervision  of  experts. 

The  entertainments  are  given  not  only  by 
local  talent,  but  also  by  visiting  groups  from 
the  K.  of  C.  Councils.  Each  Sunday  a  field 
Mass  is  held  at  building  Number  i .  On  one  oc- 
casion the  service  had  an  attendance  of  18,000 
men.  The  building  shown  in  this  picture  is 
No.  3,  near  the  base  hospital;  each  morning 
the  workers  go  from  here  to  the  hospital  with 
writing  paper  and  stamps  and  do  what  they 
can  to  make  the  sick  men  comfortable. 


36 


K.  OF  C.  Hut,  Number  3 


CAMP  INSTITUTIONS 


(i)  Divisional  Headquarters 
This  picture  shows  the  administrative  build- 
ing from  the  side  facing  the  301st  Infantry 
barracks.  In  the  rear  of  the  headquarters  are 
the  barracks  of  the  Headquarters  Troop,  the 
only  troop  in  camp.  It  is  generally  reputed 
to  be  the  "crack  unit"  of  the  cantonment.  As 
one  of  the  members  said  to  m.e  not  long  ago : 

"Why,  I'd  rather  be  right  where  I  am,  a 
private  of  the  trcop,  than  in  the  boots  of  any 
'shave-tail'   Heutenant  in  the  cantonment." 

(2)  A  Typical  Officers'  Quarters  Building 
The  officers'  quarters  are  ordinarily  in  a  line 
behind  the  barracks  of  the  organization  to  which 
their  occupants  are  assigned.  They  are  about 
sixty  feet  long  and  their  capacity,  at  the  most, 
is  thirty  officers;  few  of  them  have  this 
number,  however.  Majors  and  captains  have 
private  rooms,  while  the  lieutenants  bunk  two 
in  a  compartment.  At  the  extreme  end  of  the 
quarters  (in  this  case,  at  the  left)  is  the  officers' 
mess  and  the  kitchen.  The  officers  are  re- 
quired to  provide  for  their  food  from  their  pay ; 


cooks  and  waiters,  —  called  kitchen  police  —  are 

assigned  from  the  enHsted  men  of  the  battalion. 
Other  orderlies  clean  the  quarters,  make  the 
beds  and  keep  in  condition  the  equipment  of 
their  superiors. 

(3  AND  4)  The  Base  Hospital 
The  base  hospital  is  in  the  rear  of  the  camp, 
and  is  completely  isolated  from  the  other  organ- 
izations. It  consists  of  an  administrative  bidld- 
ing,  and  long  rows  of  hospital  barracks  for  the 
patients.  Certain  houses,  apart  from  the  main 
group,  are  intended  for  such  contagious  diseases 
as  may  occvu"  from  time  to  time. 

On  an  average,  eight  hundred  men  are  treated 
at  the  hospital  every  day.  This  number  does 
not  betoken  an  alarming  percentage  of  illness, 
as  every  man  -nith  the  sHghtest  disorder  or 
complaint  is  sent  to  the  base,  and  many  are 
found  to  be  afflicted  by  trivial  or  by  imaginary 
indispositions;  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a 
civil  community  of  30,000  people,  each  individ- 
ual leading  an  active  life,  mth  only  800  in 
imperfect  physical  condition. 


38 


(i)     Divisional  Headquarters 


-Z»^ 


lliiiiil 


^SB^^- 


Tm 


(2)     Officers'  Quarters 


(3)    Headquarters,  Base  Hospital 


(4)    Barracks,  Base  Hospital 


EXCHANGE,   HEAT,    GRUB  AND   GUARD-HOUSE 


(i)  The  Post  Exchange 
The  great  joy  of  the  soldier's  life  is  the  regi- 
mental post  exchange.  At  his  company  can- 
teen he  can  buy  tobacco,  candy  or  other  minor 
Ivixuries,  but  at  the  exchange  he  can  get  any- 
thing from  a  needle  to  a  washtub.  Every 
article  which  the  man  in  khaki  needs  or  likes  is 
on  sale.  There  are  all  kinds  of  food,  mostly 
put  up  iiT  packages,  a  variety  of  cigarettes 
which  would  rival  that  of  a  city  tobacconist, 
stationer}^  books,  post-cards,  toilet  articles, 
ad  infinitum. 

(2)  A  Heating  Plant 
Probably  there  has  been  no  matter  more 
widely  discussed  than  that  of  heat  at  the  can- 
tonment. During  the  cold  days  of  October, 
the  pipes  were  not  yet  ready,  and  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  barracks  was  not  very  high.  At 
that  time  there  was  considerable  complaint, 
principally  from  the  newspapers  of  the  small 
cities  and  towns.  It  is  too  cold  at  Ayer,  they 
said. 

The  heating  si^stem  once  in  operation,  there 
soon  came  to  be  little  cause  for  complaint. 
The  barracks  are  cold  in  the  morning  because 


the  windows  are  open  at  night,  but  by  the  time 
breakfast  is  over  the  sleeping  rooms  are  reason- 
ably comfortable.  This  picture  shows  one  of 
the  heating  plants  from  which  the  steam  is 
piped  to  the  barracks  in  the  vicinity. 

(3)  Getting  Grub  for  the  Day 
Each  morning  the  supply  wagons  bring  to 
the  kitchen  the  commodities  for  which  the 
mess  sergeant  has  requisitioned.  One  wagon 
brings  bread,  another  meat,  and  so  on.  Here 
we  have  one  of  the  kitchen  police  receiving  the 
alloted  amount  of  meat  for  his  company.  The 
sergeant  who  accompanies  the  wagon  has  just 
checked  off  the  allowance  of  that  company. 

(4)  "Turn  Out  The  Guard" 
Each  regiment  has  a  guard-house,  and  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  a  different  company 
is  daily  assigned  to  guard  duty.  One-third 
of  the  entire  number  are  alwaj^s  at  their  posts; 
the  remainder  wait  at  the  guard-house  until 
their  turn  comes  for  active  duty,  or  until  an 
alarm  is  sounded.  This  picture  shows  two- 
thirds  of  the  guard  of  a  Hght  field  artillery  regi- 
ment in  front  of  the  guard-house. 


40 


(i)     Post  Exchange,  303D  Infantry 


(2)    A  Heating  Plant 


(3)    A  Quarter  o'  Beef 


(4)    "Turn  Out  the  Guard" 


THE  CAMP  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


When  the  camp  was  being  built,  the  authori- 
ties reaHzed  the  great  danger  from  fire  in  the 
hundreds  of  wooden  buildings  and  made  pro- 
visions for  a  camp  fire  department.  By  the 
time  the  draft  men  had  arrived,  the  several 
fire  stations  were  finished,  and  a  number  of 
Ford  trucks,  the  property  of  the  Quartermas- 
ter's Corps,  completely  equipped  and  ready  for 
any  contingency  which  might  arise.  Those 
draft  men  who  had  previously  had  experience 
as  firemen  were  attached  to  the  fire  department 
and  supplemented  by  men  from  the  Quarter- 
master's Corps.  Lieutenant  George  H.  Whit- 
ney, a  Harvard  man  from  Boston,  who  had 
previously  attained  much  notoriety  as  a  "fire 
fiend,"  was  appointed  chief  of  the  department. 
He  organized  his  men,  formulated  elaborate 
schemes  for  fire  prevention  and  planned  care- 
fully to  cope  with  any  possible  conflagration. 
A  numerical  system  of  fire  alarms,  similar  to 
that  employed  in  the  cities,  was  adopted,  and 
a  loud  whistle  which  can  be  heard  for  several 


miles,  installed   in   one   of   the   power-houses. 

There  was  little  need  of  the  department  until 
the  cold  spell  of  October  came  on.  All  the  bar- 
racks and  officers'  quarters  were  then  heated  by 
small  oil  stoves,  which  proved  to  be  of  the  high- 
explosive  variety.  For  no  apparent  reasons 
these  stoves  exploded  regularly  and  with  lam- 
entable results.  A  number  of  the  buildings 
caught  fire,  and  several  burned  to  the  ground; 
it  was  due  to  the  efficiency  of  the  department 
alone  that  a  general  conflagration  was  averted. 

The  responsibility  for  putting  out  fires  is  not 
limited  to  the  fire  department,  but  extends  to 
every  soldier  in  camp.  When  the  fire-alarm 
sounds,  all  the  companies  in  the  vicinity  come 
to  the  rescue  and  aid  the  firemen.  In  order 
that  the  hydrants  may  give  the  greatest  possible 
pressure,  the  water  supply  is  turned  off  in  the 
buildings  until  recall  blows.  The  authorities 
have  drawn  up  a  set  of  drastic  rules  for  fire 
prevention,  particularly  adapted  to  the  existent 
conditions  at  camp;  these  are  strictly  enforced. 


42 


Fire! 


CONCERNING  TRUCKS  AND  FATIGUE 


(i)  An  Army  Truck 
Tliis  huge  truck,  belonging  to  the  Quarter- 
master's Department,  is  one  of  the  hundred 
such  vehicles  which  are  at  Camp  Devens. 
More  speedy  than  the  mtiles  of  former  days,  and 
of  greater  capacity  than  the  mtde-drawn  sup- 
ply-wagons, they  are  almost  universally  used 
for  trucking  in  places  where  the  condition  of 
the  roads  permit.  One  sees  many  of  them 
dail}^  at  Ayer,  rumbUng  along,  the  chains  jing- 
ling noisily,  and  at  a  rate  of  speed  wliich  makes 
life  miserable  for  the  unwary  pedestrian. 

(2,  3  AND  4)  Fatigue  Duty 
The  next  three  pictures  illustrate  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  term  "fatigue  duty."  If  any 
manual  labor  has  to  be  done  about  the  camp, 
details  are  called  for.  The  men  thus  selected 
perform  the  required  work,  whether  it  be  to 
unload  a  truck  or  to  build  a  road. 

The  first  "fatigue"  picture  shows  a  detail  of 
M  Company,  302d  Infantry  —  men  from  Rock- 
land and  Quincy  • —  building  a  road,  or  at  least 
trying  to  build  one.     It  was  zero  weather  and 


the  ground  was  like  so  much  solid  rock.  Never- 
theless,  they   were   working   away   cheerfully. 

"A  little  gunpowder  might  help,"  I  suggested. 

"Lord,  man,  it  would  take  another  Halifax 
disaster  to  loosen  this  dirt." 

Number  three  is  a  group  of  men  from  the 
Headquarters  Train,  trying  to  make  the  roads 
passable  after  a  snowstorm.  They  are  now  in 
front  of  the  unit  headquarters  and  are  working 
more  industriously  than  ever,  because  they 
have  only  one  more  load  to  shovel.  When 
they  finish,  they  will  take  the  first  train  for 
Worcester,  for  a  week-end  visit. 

The  last  picture  shows  a  detail  from  Ambu- 
ance  Company  Number  302,  loading  the  ac- 
cumulated garbage  of  the  day  into  one  of  the 
Quartermaster's  trucks.  The  man  in  the  fore- 
ground, who  is  saluting  with  a  cigarette  in  his 
mouth,  unquestionably  realizes  the  gravity  of 
the  situation. 

Each  morning  these  trucks  go  to  the  kit- 
chens, collect  the  refuse  and  carry  it  to  the 
transfer  station  in  the  rear  of  the  camp. 


44 


(i)    "Gangway!" 


(2)    Road-building 


(3)    The  Last  Load 


(4)    "Any  Garbage?" 


TWO   IMPORTANT  FUNCTIONARIES 


(i)  The  Bugler 
One  of  the  most  ardent  ambitions  of  the 
small  boy,  in  these  times'  of  wars  and  rumors  of 
wars,  is  imdoubtedly  some  day  to  be  an  army 
bugler.  This  enthusiasm  and  envy  is  by  no 
means  limited  to  the  youth;  it  is  shared  by 
people  of  mature  years,  and  even  by  the  sol- 
diers themselves.  There  is  something  pictur- 
esque about  the  bugler,  and  something  that 
suggests  romance  in  his  notes.  Before  any- 
one is  astir,  with  the  exception  of  the  cooks,  the 
bugler  comes  from  his  barracks  in  the  dim 
morning  light,  and  shrills  the  "first  call,"  which 
precedes  reveille.  It  then  seems  as  if  some 
one  turned  on  an  electric  switch  which. rouses 
inanimate  beings  to  activity,  and  changes 
darkness  into  light.  The  lights  in  the  barracks 
flash;  there  comes  from  all  sides  the  sound  of 
closing  windows,  the  dropping  of  shoes,  and 
inharmonious  yawns.  The  bugler  has  awakened 
the  camp.  Throughout  the  day  he  announces 
mess,  sick-call,  drill-call,  and  numerous  others 
until  taps  blows,  when  the  same  magic  notes 
tiom  out  the  lights  and  silence  the  songs  and 
voices   of   thirty   thousand  men. 


Owing  to  the  wide  area  over  which  the 
buildings  are  distributed,  the  men  blow  their 
instruments  into  a  megaphone.  In  this  pic- 
ture, the  bugler  of  the  304th  Infantry  is  announc- 
ing to  his  comrades,  who  have  just  returned 
from  drill,  that  mess  is  waiting  for  them. 

(2)  The  Sentry 
Another  interesting  figure  is  the  sentry. 
The  camp  proper  is  patrolled  by  the  military 
police,  who  have  "billies"  instead  of  rifles. 
Some  of  the  regimental  guards,  however,  carry 
rifles,  and  patrol  certain  posts,  as  in  an  ordinary 
war-time  encampment.  This  guard,  with  his 
bayonet  fixed,  is  patrolling  the  vicinity  of  a 
battalion  headquarters  of  the  303d  Infantry. 
It  is  a  cold  job  because  his  post  is  not  extensive 
and  has  not  much  walking  space.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  the  home-made  helmet  and  gloves, 
quantities  of  which  the  women  of  America  have 
been  industriously  knitting  for  their  boys,  are 
doing  good  service. 


46 


(i)     "Soupy,  Soupy,  Soupy!" 

(This  is  the  orthodox  traBslation  of  mess-call) 


(2)     "Halt!  Who  Goes  There?" 


RELIEVING  THE    GUARD 


According  to  the  ordinar}^  procedure  of 
guard  duty,  a  man  is  on  duty  for  two  hours  and 
off  for  four,  until  the  prescribed  twenty-four 
hours  have  elapsed.  Each  shift  is  under  the 
control  of  a  corporal — the  well-known  "corporal 
of  the  guard."  After  one  shift  is  over,  the 
corporal  of  the  guard  who  is  to  go  on  duty 
and  the  corporal  whose  men  are  about  to  be 
relieved,  \'isit  each  post  with  the  relief.  At 
Post  No.  I,  they  pick  up  Smith  and  leave  Jones, 
and  so  on.  When  the  corporals  return  to  the 
guard-house,  they  have  an  entirely  different  set 
of  men;  those  they  started  with  are  now  scat- 
tered at  the  various  posts. 

This  picture  shows  the  relief  of  the  guard. 
In  the  quadrangular  group,  the  man  on  the 
left  is  the  old  guard  at  Post  No.  6;  he  has 
been  on  duty  for  two  hours.  Facing  him  is 
the  relief  who  will  take  the  post  for  the  next 
two  hours.  The  first  one  is  explaining  to  his 
relief  the  limits  of  the  post,  and  is  communi- 
cating any  orders  which  may  have  been  given 
him.     The  man  with  his  back  towards  us  is  the 


corporal  of  the  old  guard;  facing  him,  with 
the  smile,  is  the  corporal  of  the  relief.  The 
six  men  are  partly  of  the  old  guard  and  partly 
of  the  relief.  When  the  column  moves  on, 
the  man  who  has  been  relieved  will  fall  in  at 
the  rear  and  return  to  the  guard-house  for  four 
hours  of  rest. 

In  case  of  any  trouble  on  a  post,  the  guard 
summons  assistance.  If  he  is  undecided  what 
course  to  pursue  in  a  minor  disagreement,  he 
cries,  "Corporal  of  the  guard;  No.  6!"  If  the 
sixth  post  is  distant  from  the  guard-house, 
the  man  on  the  next  post  passes  on  the  cry  and 
eventually  the  corporal  arrives  to  settle  the 
difficulty.  If  the  guard  is  taken  ill,  he  cries 
"Corporal  of  the  guard;  No.  6;  relief!"  The 
corporal  then  comes  with  a  man  to  relieve  him. 
If  there  is  serious  trouble,  the  guard  cries: 
"The  Guard!  No.  6."  The  corporal  at  the 
guard-house  reports  to  the  commander  of  the 
guard  (usually  a  sergeant),  who  turns  out  the 
entire  guard  and  rushes  to  the  scene  of  disorder. 


48 


The  Reuef 


BAYONET  PRACTICE 


One  of  the  most  important  branches  of  mili- 
tary' science  which  soldiers  must  master  is  the 
skilful  use  of  the  bayonet.  Before  the  men 
leave  for  France,  every  one  of  them  will  know 
how  to  defend  himself  from  another  bayonet, 
how  to  conduct  an  offensive,  and  how  to  com- 
bine skilfully  the  two  movements.  Quite 
naturally,  this  work  has  been  very  popular  at 
Camp  Devens.  There  is  nothing  that  the 
American  likes  better  than  hand-to-hand,  man- 
to-man  fighting.  For  that  reason  he  excels 
in  football,  in  wrestling,  in  boxing,  and  in 
every  other  sport  in  which  the  element  of  per- 
sonal contact  and  aggression  is  predominant. 
That  is  the  reason  why  he  must  learn  this 
science  thoroughly,  and  that  is  why,  when  he  has 
learned  it,  he  will  make  the  best  bayonet  fighter 
on  the  Western  Front.  There  is  nothing 
particularly  inspiring  about  shooting  at  a  forest 
two  miles  away  in  the  hope  of  hitting  some 
one,  or  in  firing  at  a  trench,  the  occupants  of 
which  are  not  in  sight.  But  when  the  American 
meets  his  adversary  face  to  face,  when  it  is  skill 
against  skill,  there  he  will  be  at  his  best. 

But  there  is  another  feature  of  American 
fighting  which  will  hinder  our  men.     The  Anglo- 


Saxon  likes  to  fight  fair ;  he  plays  a  clean  game 
and  expects  his  adversary  to  do  the  same; 
hence  he  is  not  looking  out  for  fouls.  Accord- 
ing to  the  German  code  of  fighting,  a  man  fouls 
whenever  possible.  The  Huns  surrender  and 
then  shoot  their  captors  in  the  back,  and  have 
innumerable  other  little  tricks  which  "are  not 
being  done"  in  clean  fighting.  Our  boys  are 
being  trained  how  to  deal  with  these  methods. 
The  American  soldier  is  not  encouraged  to 
emulate  Prussian  barbarism ;  he  is  being  taught 
how  to  cope  with  it,  how  to  overcome  that 
barbarism,  and  thereby  save  his  own  life. 
Every  element  of  warfare  which  the  authori- 
ties teach  your  son,  your  brother,  your 
friend,  is  for  his  own  good  and  is  likely  to  save 
his  life  at  one  time  or  another. 

The  bayonet  work  of  Camp  Devens  is  under 
the  tutelage  of  Major  Reginald  Barlow,  of  the 
302d  Infantry.  Major  Barlow  is  a  veteran 
fighter  and  has  seen  service  in  South  Africa. 
When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  an  actor  play- 
ing in  "Old  Lady  31."  He  is  now  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  expert  bayonet  instructors  in 
the  country. 

As  yet,  the  United  States  has  not  evolved 


so 


"Over  the  Top  —  and  Give  'Em  Hell" 


BAYONET   PRACTICE— Continued 


any  particttlar  form  of  bayonet  fighting  for 
this  war,  but  the  authorities  are  constantly 
experimenting.  When  the  perfected  system  is 
adopted,  it  will  probably  be  a  combination  of 
the  English,  French,  and  Canadian  codes. 
The  men  are  being  trained  according  to  cer- 
tain principles  which  the  English  have  found 
most  successful  and  efficacious. 

The  bayonet  fighters  in  these  pictures  are 
men   of   the    13  th   Company,    Depot   Brigade. 


The  preceding  picture  shows  them  coming  over 
an  imaginary  "top, ' '  and  gives  some  idea  of  what 
a  bayonet  charge  in  skirmish  line  looks  like. 

The  picture  opposite  shows  the  same  men 
receiving  instruction  in  thrusting  from  Lieuten- 
ant Russell  Codman  of  the  4th  Battalion.  The 
dummies  are  of  burlap  sacks  filled  with  straw. 
The  man  on  the  end  seems  to  be  making  a  par- 
ticularly determined  and  deadly  thrust. 


52 


Getting  Ready  For —  "Der  Tag" 


GRENADE   PRACTICE 


Another  constituent  of  the  modern  art  of 
warfare  is  the  hand  grenade,  an  offensive  arm 
hitherto  practicahy  unrecognized  by  our  regu- 
lations, which  has  become  an  important  fea- 
ture in  the  fighting  on  the  Western  Front. 
The  grenade  is  made  of  cast  iron  and  is  about 
the  size  and  shape  of  a  lemon.  The  outside 
of  the  casing  is  corrugated,  so  that  when  it  ex- 
plodes, it  bursts  into  fragments.  The  grenadier 
holds  it  in  his  right  hand,  removes  the  safety 
pin  with  his  left,  and  hurls  the  grenade  in  the 
direction  of  the  enemy  trenches.  Five  seconds 
after  the  grenade  leaves  the  hand,  it  explodes, 
scattering  some  fifty  bits  of  iron  in  all  direc- 
tions, with  such  force  that  they  are  danger- 
ous at  a  distance  of  a  hundred  yards.  It  is 
sometimes  used  preliminary  to  the  attack,  in 
order  to  clear  the  opposing  front-line  trench,  but 
more  often  to  "mop  up"  an  enemy  trench,  after 
it  has  been  taken.  The  French  company 
formation,  adopted  since  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  substitutes  a  ntimber  of  grenadiers  for  the 
customary  riflemen,  and  the  newly  adopted 
English   and    Canadian   formations    also   have 


squads  of  men  skilled  in  throwing  the  danger- 
ous missiles.  Our  formation  for  action  on 
the  Western  Front  has  not  yet  been  perfected 
but  when  the  final  decision  is  made,  there  will 
be  a  large  number  of  these  grenadiers  attached 
to  each  company.  Accordingly,  the  military 
authorities  at  Ayer,  leaving  no  stone  unturned 
in  the  thorough  preparation  of  the  men,  have 
already  begun  to  teach  them  the  art  of  throw- 
ing the  grenade.  Lieutenant  Mallet  of  the 
French  Mission,  assisted  by  Lieutenant  A.  W. 
Wright,  is  superintending  the  grenade  work 
at  the  camp.  The  group  in  the  picture  are 
non-commissioned  officers  from  the  yth  Bat- 
talion, Depot  Brigade.  They  are  learning  the 
rudiments  in  advance  of  the  privates  so  that 
they  will  be  able  to  instruct  their  charges  when 
the  time  comes.  The  Americans  find  it  rather 
difficult  to  throw  the  dummy  grenade;  they 
are  tempted  to  throw  it  like  a  baseball,  but  it 
must  be  done  with  a  circular  overhead  move- 
ment, by  swinging  the  arm  as  the  pitcher  does 
in  the  English  game  of  cricket. 


54 


Clearing  an  Imaginary  German  Trench 


SIGNALLING 


The  knowledge  of  the  methods  of  signalling 
is  not  restricted  to  the  Signal  Corps,  but  is 
necessary  to  men  in  every  branch  of  the  serv- 
ice. The  two  principal  codes  used  by  the 
United  States  army  are  the  wig-wag,  which  is 
a  visual  adaption  of  the  International  Morse 
code,  and  the  semaphore  two-arm  or  two-flag 
code,  which  is  illustrated  in  the  accompanying 
picture. 

Certain  movements  and  formations  are  also 
regulated  by  signals,  the  knowledge  of  which  is 
imperative  to  their  proper  execution.  Often 
in  the  trenches  or  on  the  battlefield,  the  noise 
or  distance  is  so  great  that  oral  communication 
is  impossible,  and  written  notification  not 
feasible.  On  this  account  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  the  soldier,  whether  engineer,  cavalry- 


man or  artilleryman,  be  able  to  communicate 
with  his  officers  or  companions  in  another  part 
of  the  field  by  arm  signals. 

Ordinarily,  flags  are  used,  as  they  are  more 
easily  seen,  but  in  this  picture  where  the  train- 
ing is  taking  place,  they  are  not  necessary,  and 
only  two  men  seem  to  be  equipped  with  them. 
The  semaphore  code  is  very  simple  and  the 
letters  follow  certain  movements  of  the  arms 
in  logical  sequence.  The  man  in  front  is 
signalling  the  letter  O.  Of  the  three  men  on 
the  right  whose  arms  are  raised,  the  first  is 
giving  the  letter  J,  and  those  behind  him  are 
both  signalling  the  letter  A.  The  signallers 
are  members  of  the  14th  and  isth  Companies  of 
the  Depot  Brigade. 


56 


Semaphoring 


SANITATION,   BAYONETS  AND  HOUSE-MOVING 


(i)  The  sanitary  officer  of  Camp  Devens 
has  decreed  that  as  a  health  precaution  all 
blankets  and  mattresses  shall  be  suspended 
during  the  hours  of  morning  drill  from  the  win- 
dows of  the  barracks,  and  that  every  window 
in  the  building  shall  be  open.  That  is  the 
reason  for  the  rather  astounding  display  of 
sleeping  accoutrements  in  this  barracks  of  the 
302d  Light  Artillery. 

(2)  The  medical  authorities  have  also  taken 
strict  precautions  to  prevent  the  spread  of  any 
epidemic  among  the  draft  men.  The  few  and 
scattered  cases  of  measles  have  resulted  in  the 
wholesale  quarantine  of  the  companies  to  which 
the  sick  men  belonged.  This  picture  shows 
the  quarantined  barracks  of  a  caisson  company 
of  the  Ammunition  Train.  A  promenade  has 
been  fenced  in  for  the  guard;  he  will  allow  no 
one  to  come  within  the  outside  fence,  and  the 
patients  are  restricted  to  that  area  enclosed 
by  the  inside  barrier. 

(3)  Here  we  have  First  Lieutenant  H.  D. 
White  instructing  his  men  in  bayonet  drill.     In 


order  to  illustrate  the  many  varieties  of  offen- 
sive and  defensive  positions,  the  lieutenant 
has  ordered  each  pair  to  assume  a  different 
pose.  The  men  on  the  end  are  executing  the 
preliminary  movements,  but  in  the  center  we 
can  see  a  man  who  has  come  to  close  quarters 
with  his  adversary  and  is,  so  to  speak,  "after 
him  tooth  and  nail."  This  platoon  is  from 
H  Company  of  the  302d  Infantry,  and  the 
combatants  formerly  lived  on  Cape  Cod. 

(4)  These  men  from  the  304th  Infantry 
realize  that  a  soldier  is  expected  to  do  every 
kind  of  work  on  the  calendar.  A  building  which 
was  formerly  used  as  sleeping  quarters  for  the 
civilian  workmen  was  needed  near  the  regi- 
mental headquarters  for  a  motor-cycle  garage. 
Accordingly,  a  detail  was  called  to  transfer  it, 
and  now  the  moving  is  in  full  progress.  They 
have  about  three  blocks  farther  to  go,  but 
judging  from  the  happy  expressions  on  their 
faces,  the  distance  does  not  seem  to  be  of  much 
concern. 


58 


(i)     "Out    the    Window    You    Must    Go" 


(2)     Quarantined 


(3)    Up  and  at  'Em 


(4)     Moving  Day 


THE  MEDICAL  CORPS 


Since  the  Red  Cross  has  come  under  the 
dominion  of  the  War  Department,  the  am- 
bulances and  equipment  have  become  adjuncts 
to  the  Medical  Corps,  and  the  workers  enlisted 
men  in  the  army.  The  Medical  Corps  at  Camp 
Devens  is  under  the  direction  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Powell,  the  divisional  surgeon,  who  has 
under  him  230  officers  and  iioo  men.  Besides 
the  base  hospital  there  are  twenty-six  infirma- 
ries, attached,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  regimental 
units.  Each  of  these  smaller  hospitals  has  a 
staff  of  officers  and  trained  men  to  take  care  of 
the  trivial  cases  or  to  administer  first  aid  upon 
event  of  an  emergency.  Each  morning,  after 
breakfast,  the  men  who  are  not  well  answer 
"sick-call"  and  are  marched  by  a  non-com- 
missioned officer  to  the  regimental  infirmary. 
If  their  illnesses  are  imaginary   or  obviously 


only  temporary,  the  staff  treats  them  there ;  any 
men  whose  condition  is  really  not  normal,  or 
who  might  develop  sickness  through  lack  of 
proper  care,  are  sent  to  the  base  hospital  in 
ambulances. 

It  lends  a  touch  of  realism  to  the  ordinary 
commonplace  incidents  of  the  camp  to  see  these 
ambulances,  with  large  red  crosses  on  the  side, 
go  tearing  along  the  road.  The  "rolling  stock" 
of  the  Medical  Corps  consists  of  thirty  ambu- 
lances like  those  illustrated  and  four  field  hos- 
pitals. The  drivers  of  these  vehicles  belong 
to  the  four  ambulance  companies,  whose  quar- 
ters are  adjacent  to  those  of  the  Headquarters 
Train. 

The  picture  shows  three  of  the  ambulances 
waiting  near  one  of  the  regimental  infirmaries 
for  patients  to  take  to  the  base  hospital. 


60 


The  Ambulances 


THE   FIELD  ARTILLERY 


Camp  Devens  has  three  regiments  of  field 
artillery:  the  303d,  heavy  artillery,  the  301st 
and  302d,  light  artillery.  Colonel  A.  S.  Conk- 
lin  is  the  commanding  officer  of  the  combined 
regiments.  The  enlisted  men  are  those  drafted 
from  Northern  Maine  and  New  Hampshire. 

(i)  B.\TiERY  F,  303D.  H.  F.  A. 
Captain  Gallaudet  of  Waterbury  has  just 
ordered  his  organization,  Battery  F,  to  fall  in 
for  fatigue  duty.  It  is  early  afternoon,  and  the 
entire  regiment  is  about  to  pick  up  the  grounds 
and  do  odd  jobs  in  the  vicinity.  A  quarter- 
mile  away,  there  is  a  huge  supply  of  wood, 
scattered  promiscuously  over  the  landscape; 
these  boys  from  the  north  will  spend  the  after- 
noon gathering  and  placing  it  in  piles  for  the 
trucks  to  distribute. 

Blue  Overalls 

(2)     At  the  same  time  Battery  D  is  rounding 

the   comer.     A   road  not   far   away   must   be 

opened    before    night    and    the    soldiers    have 

donned  blue  overalls  to  keep  their  uniforms 


from  getting  dirty.  They  surely  present  a 
strange  appearance,  with  their  campaign  hats 
and  the  blue,  loose-fitting  clothes,  in  place  of 
the  regulation  khaki. 

(3  AND  4)     Artillery  Practice. 

Lieutenant  Julian  L.  Lathrop,  the  former 
Harvard  athlete,  who  has  been  in  the  ambtdance 
service  at  the  Western  Front,  is  drilling  a  squad 
from  Battery  E.  In  the  absence  of  horses  and 
artillery,  they  use  wooden  imitations  and 
themselves  drag  the  "big  guns"  around.  They 
are  now  ready  to  fire ;  there  is  a  goodly  supply 
of  theoretical  ammunition  in  the  wooden 
caisson  at  the  right  of  the  gun,  and  the  sergeant 
is  about  to  give  the  signal  which  will  (also 
theoretically)  cause  a  shell  to  disturb  the  peace- 
ful quiet  of  the  town  of  Clinton,  ten  miles  away. 

On  the  "camouflaged"  horses  the  same  squad 
is  learning  the  fine  points  of  equestrianism. 
When  the  genuine  articles  arrive,  all  that  will  be 
necessary  will  be  to  get  on  good  terms  with  the 
animals. 


62 


(i)     Battery  F 


(2)    Blue  Overalls 


(3)     "Ready  — Fire" 


(4)     The  Gentle  Art  of  Equestrianism 


THE   DEPOT    BRIGADE 


"What  is  the  Depot  Brigade?"  comes  the 
query  from  all  sides. 

Some  people  seem  to  harbor  the  impression 
that  it  is  an  organization  which  camps  in  the 
railroad  station,  or  uses  the  freight  yards  as  a 
drill-field.  But  such  is  not  the  case.  It  is  not 
even  remotely  connected  with  the  railroad 
depot  or  with  the  freight  and  passenger  serv- 
ice. The  Depot  Brigade  is  a  clearing-house 
for  soldiers,  —  a  training  school  which  never 
takes  a  vacation,  although  many  of  its  graduates 
daily  receive  their  degrees  as  first-class  soldiers. 
To  the  Depot  Brigade  come  all  the  recruits ;  to  it 
are  sent  all  those  men  who  do  not  readily  pick 
up  the  elements  of  military  training  in  the  line 
regiments.  In  a  way,  it  may  be  compared  to 
the  foundry  which  receives  crude  iron  and  odd 
lots  of  old  metal,  and  molds  it  step  by  step  until 
the  finished  product  is  perfected. 

The  Depot  Brigade  is  the  reserve  upon  which 
the  line  regiments  depend  to  replenish  troops 
which  have  been  transferred  or  sent  away. 
While  the  infantry  line  trains  the  same  men 
day  after  day  until  they  are  proficient  as  a  unit, 
this  clearing-house  trains  individuals  until 
they  are  fit  for  the  line,  and  then  sends  them 


away;  the  vacant  places  are  necessarily  filled 
by  green  men,  and  the  whole  process  has  to  be 
duplicated. 

If  a  certain  company  of  the  line  requires 
fifty  men  to  fill  its  ranks,  an  appeal  is  made  to 
the  Depot  Brigade;  accordingly,  fifty  well- 
trained  men  appear  the  next  morning  at  the 
roll-call  of  the  infantry  organization.  If  two 
hundred  men  must  leave  for  Georgia,  if  ten 
men  suited  for  engineers  are  needed,  the  Depot 
Brigade  comes  to  the  rescue.  This  training 
school  is  numerically  the  largest  organization 
in  the  camp;  it  prepares  men  for  every  branch 
of  the  service. 

The  officers  are  the  hardest-worked  men  at 
Ayer.  They  do  not  drill  the  same  men  day 
after  day,  but  often  have  several  different 
companies  pass  through  their,  hands  in  a  month. 
They  must  have  on  the  tip  of  their  tongue  every 
detail  of  the  regulations,  for  while  Brown  has 
been  in  the  service  two  months  and  Green  one 
month,  Black  has  had  only  two  weeks'  training 
and  White  did  not  come  to  camp  until  the  day 
before  yesterday;  the  officer  must  therefore  be 
ready  to  explain  the  principles  of  grenade 
throwing  to  Brown,    the   elements  of  bayonet 


64 


The  Main  Street,  Depot  Brigade 


THE  DEPOT  BRIGADE— Continued 


combat  to  Green,  the  intricacies  of  company 
and  platoon  drill  to  Black,  and  the  manual  of 
arms  to  White,  —  and  all  within  an  hour  if 
need  be.  There  is  no  time  to  glance  at  the 
regulations;  he  must  know  what  he  is  talking 
about  every  minute. 

The  constant  transferring  of  men  from  the 
brigade  necessarily  entails  constant  practice  in 
army  paperwork,  a  most  important  element  of 
military  science.  Again,  every  detail  must  be 
clearly  graven  in  the  officers'  minds.  Such 
constant  practice  in  every  branch  of  the  art  of 
soldiering  cannot  but  bring  about  an  efficiency 
which  would  not   otherwise  be  obtained. 


The  preceding  picture  shows  the  main  street 
of  the  depot  brigade.  The  headquarters  is  on 
the  knoll  at  the  left,  and  the  battalion  streets,  in 
lines  of  barracks,  run  perpendiciilarly  to  the 
right  from  this  thoroughfare.  The  officers' 
quarters,  are  some  distance  from  the  road  and 
parallel  to  it,  on  the  left.  It  can  be  seen  that 
the  brigade  is  on  the  side  of  a  long  slope;  from 
its  summit  one  can  gain  a  view  of  the  entire 
cantonment. 

The  picture  opposite  shows  a  Depot  Brigade 
battalion,  comprising  in  this  case  about  500 
men,  and  made  up  of  iour  skeletonized  com- 
panies. 


66 


A  Depot  Brigade  Battalion 


THE  HEADQUARTERS  TRAIN— THE  SIGNAL  CORPS 


The  301st  Headquarters  Train  and  Military 
Police  embraces  four  other  organizations:  the 
301st  Supply  Train,  the  301st  Ammunition  Train, 
the  301st  Sanitary  Train  and  the  301st  Engi- 
neers' Train.  The  members  of  these  motorized 
units  come  principally  from  Worcester,  Spring- 
field, and  the  central  part  of  Massachusetts. 
Many  experienced  drivers  and  skilled  mechan- 
ics have  been  transferred  to  the  Headquarters 
Train  and  are  employed  at  their  old  trades. 
This  is  in  accordance  with  the  plan  of  the 
authorities  to  put  every  man  where  he  will  do 
the  best  work.  The  Commanding  Officer  is 
Colonel  G.  H.  Estes,  formerly  of  the  infantry. 

The  signalling  department  of  the  camp  is 
under  the  control  of  Major  C.  A.  Lewis,  the 
divisional  signal  officer.  Captain  John  F.  Fan- 
ning commands  the  301st  Signal  Battalion,  the 
only  detachment  of  the  Signal  Corps  at  Ayer. 
This  battalion  is  unlike  the  other  units  in 
that  its  members  are,  for  the  most  part,  vol- 
unteers who  were  recruited  last  spring  and 
early  summer,  before  the  draft  became  effec- 
tive.    The   equipment   of   the   Corps   includes 


a  complete  wireless  outfit  which  communicates 
frequently  with  other  stations  in  all  parts  of 
the  country. 

(i)  The  main  street  and  some  of  the  bar- 
racks of  the  Headquarters  Train. 

(2)  The  204th  Ambulance  Company  at 
right  dress.  This  unit  is  a  part  of  the  Medical 
Corps,  but  its  barracks  are  adjacent  to  those  of 
the  Train.  These  boys  are  mainly  from  Worces- 
ter   and    Springfield. 

(3)  A  view  of  the  barracks  of  the  301st 
Signal  Battalion.  The  first  three  belong  to 
Companies  A,  B  and  C,  respectively;  the 
building  beyond,  which  resembles  an  officers' 
quarters,  is  that  of  the  headquarters  detach- 
ment. 

(4)  Another  view  of  the  Signal  Corps,  show- 
ing the  drill  field.  The  building  in  the  back- 
ground, upon  which  the  antennae  of  the  wire- 
less are  seen,  is  for  the  overflow  from  the 
three  other  buildings.  The  wireless,  which  is 
now  in  the  officers'  quarters,  will  also  be  moved 
into  the  new  structure. 


68 


(i)    The  Main  Street 


(.2)    204TH  Ambulance  Company 


(3)     The  Signal  Corps 


(4)    Signal  Corps  Barracks 


THE    INFANTRY 


The  301ST  Regiment 
Like  the  now  censored  expression  "Sammy," 
which  so  aroused  the  wrath  of  the  American 
soldier  in  France,  the  designation  "Boston's 
Own,"  as  applied  to  the  301st  Infantry,  has 
caused  much  heated  discussion  at  Camp  Devens. 
The  members  of  that  regiment  are  Greater 
Boston  men,  for  the  most  part;  upon  their 
arrival  at  Ayer,  the  unit  was  christened  "Bos- 
ton's Own"  by  one  of  the  newspapers.  The 
phrase  appeared  again  and  again  in  the  columns 
of  the  press  until  it  became  a  fixture  at  the 
camp,  and  a  tradition  among  the  people  of 
Boston.  Immediately  the  other  infantry  or- 
ganizations and  the  Depot  Brigade,  which  has 
many  units  made  up  solely  of  Boston  men, 
took  exception  to  the  term  and  were  annoyed 
by  the  notoriety  which  was  extended  by  the 
press  to  that  regiment  alone.  Some  men  of  the 
301st,  also  wearied  by  the  constant  repetition 
of  the  phrase,  and  the  subsequent  loss  of  mili- 
tary identity  as  a  unit,  became  indignant. 
When  asked  where  they  had  been  assigned,  men 
of  other  tmits  declared : 


"We're  from  the  302d  (303d  or  304th), 
not  from  Boston's  Own." 

The  Depot  Brigade  cries  hotly: 

"Forget  the  'Boston's  Own '  stuff  when  you're 
around  here." 

And  an  officer  of  the  301st  explained  to  me: 

"Such  nicknames,  though  novel  at  first,  be- 
come unpleasant  when  overworked.  We  prefer 
to  be  the  plain  301st  until  we  have  a  record  be- 
hind us.  Then  they  may  call  us  what  they 
like." 

Such  are  the  opinions!  Visitors  at  the  camp 
are  strongly  advised  to  ask  for  the  301st  In- 
fantry, if  they  wish  to  find  that  unit;  should 
they  ask  the  direction  of  "Boston's  Own,"  they 
might  be  sent  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  camp. 

The  301st  Infantry  is  situated  a  hundred 
yards  to  the  south  of  the  Divisional  Headquar- 
ters. The  commanding  officer  is  Colonel  Frank 
Tompkins.  This  picture  shows  the  barracks 
of  the  regiment,  taken  from  the  rear. 


70 


The  301  ST,  OF  Boston 


THE   QUARTERS  OF  THE  SUPPLY  COMPANY,   301ST   INFANTRY 


The  lower  floor  of  the  typical  barracks  is 
devoted  to  the  mess  hall  and  kitchen,  the  first 
sergeant's  office  and  the  recreation  room;  the 
top  floor  is  used  for  sleeping  quarters.  The 
Ayer  men  are  particularly  fortunate  in  regard 
to  their  bunks  and  equipment.  Each  man  has 
an  iron  cot,  equipped  with  a  spring  and  a  straw 
mattress  (a  luxury  unknown  to  the  soldiers  of 
the  "good  old  days"  of  a  year  or  two  ago.)  Be- 
sides these,  he  has  as  many  blankets  as  are 
requisite  for  his  comfort.  No  pillows  are  fur- 
nished, but  the  soldier  may  buy  one  for  his  per- 
sonal use  if  he  so  desires.  Pajamas  are  not 
in  vogue. 

As  there  are  no  closets  or  mahogany  bureaus, 
the  men  deposit  their  personal  belongings  under 
their  cots;  there  they  are  as  safe  as  in  a  vault, 
for,  according  to  the  soldier's  code  of  honor, 
theft  is  classified  with  murder  and  arson  and  is 
unknown  in  an  army  camp.  In  the  center  of 
the  room  there  are  pegs  on  which  overcoats 


may  be  hung;  but  all  other  personal  belongings 
are  restricted  to  the  area  of  the  cots. 

At  night  every  window  is  opened  six  inches 
as  a  result  of  the  recent  order  of  the  Sanitary 
Officer.  Directly  after  mess  in  the  morning,  the 
soldier  makes  his  bed.  It  is  not  "made"  in  the 
ordinary  way,  but,  rather,  in  accordance  with 
the  military  regulations.  All  blankets  and 
bed  clothing  are  neatly  folded  and  deposited 
in  a  pile  at  the  head  of  the  bed;  personal  ar- 
ticles must  be  in  similarly  neat  piles  beneath 
each  cot.  The  barracks  are  inspected  daily  by 
an  ofiicer;  any  man  whose  bunk  is  not  in  good 
condition,  or  who  has  neglected  to  comply 
with  any  of  the  rules,  is  given  a  reprimand  and 
extra  "fatigue  duty." 

The  boys  in  this  barracks  are  of  the  Supply 
Company  of  the  301st.  When  the  picture  was 
taken,  they  had  just  finished  "tidying  up"  the 
big  room  for  inspection. 


72 


Supply  Company,  301ST  Infantry 


THE    MESS-HALL 


The  lower  floor  of  each  barracks  contains  a 
spacious  mess-hall  and  kitchen  for  the  members 
of  the  compan^^  The  mess-hall  is  filled  with 
long  wooden  benches  and  seats.  In  the  rear 
is  the  kitchen,  where  the  food  is  prepared  and 
cooked  on  large  ranges.  The  cooks  are  per- 
manent members  of  the  ciolinar^^  department, 
and  were  originally  selected  on  account  of 
previous  experience  in  that  field,  but  the  waiters 
and  helpers,  the  "kitchen  police,"  as  they  are 
called,  are  only  on  duty  temporarily.  Each 
daj'  a  detail  is  selected  from  the  company  roster 
to  act  as  kitchen  police.  These  men  are  re- 
lieved from  military  duties  and  are  under  the 
orders  of  his  Majesty,  the  Cook.  They  carry  in 
the  supplies  from  the  trucks,  peel  potatoes  and 
onions,  and  at  meal  time  act  as  waiters,  bringing 
the  food  to  the  tables  from  the  sideboard  which 
separates  the  kitchen  and  the  dining  hall.  This 
duty  is  not  sought  by  the  men  and  hence  is 
often  given  for  days  at  a  time  as  punishment  for 
some  laxity  in  discipline. 

When  the  mess-call  blows  the  men  throng  to 
the  tables  upon  which  the  food  has  already  been 


placed.  As  soon  as  they  are  allowed  to  sit  down 
there  is  one  grand  rush  for  the  plates  of  food. 
Smith  has  the  potatoes,  and  Jones  the  platter 
of  meat.  After  Smith  has  taken  all  the  pota- 
toes he  wants,  he  gives  the  dish  to  Jones,  who 
in  turn  passes  back  the  meat.  Meanwhile, 
Brown,  Green  and  Black  are  industriously 
heaping  their  plates  with  bread,  beans  and 
prunes.  After  a  while  this  mutual  interchange 
is  completed  and  most  of  the  men  are  happy. 

Those  who  have  not  obtained  enough  howl 
for  the  distracted  orderly  to  bring  them  more. 
It  is  all  done  good-natiu^edly,  however,  and  no 
matter  how  hard  a  time  a  man  may  have  in 
getting  what  he  wants  when  he  wants  it,  he  is 
never  hungry  when  he  leaves  the  mess-hall. 
For  this  is  one  of  Uncle  Sam's  cardinal  rules  for 
the  health  and  happiness  of  his  boys,  —  good 
food  and  plenty  of  it. 

The  mess-hall  shown  here  is  that  of  a  company 
of  the  303d  Infantry.  The  kitchen  police, 
one  of  whom  has  a  mop  in  his  hand,  are  in  the 
foreground;  the  cooks  can  be  seen  behind  the 
sideboard. 


74 


The  Most  Popular  Place  in  Camp 


THE  302D   INFANTRY 


The  302d  Infantr}%  Colonel  C.  C.  Smith 
commanding,  comes  from  the  southeastern  part 
of  Massachusetts.  Some  of  the  men  came 
from  Quincy,  Hingham  and  towns  near  Bos- 
ton; others  lived  in  Provincetown  and  the  vil- 
lages of  Cape  Cod,  on  Martha's  Vineyard  and 
Nantucket.  These  are  the  men  whose  fathers 
and  grandfathers  sailed  from  New  Bedford  and 
Nantucket  on  long  whahng  voyages,  or  earned 
their  subsistence  by  fishing  trips  to  the  banks  of 
Newfoundland.  And  their  sons  and  grandsons, 
strong  and  sturdy  young  men  who  have  spent 
their  lives  on  the  shores  of  Massachusetts,  have 
forsaken  the  sea,  and  are  preparing  to  fight  by 
land  the  great  war  of  democracy. 

The  street  in  the  pictvue  runs  through  their 


barracks,  and  connects  the  regimental  street 
in  front  with  the  highway  in  the  rear.  The 
latter  encircles  the  barracks  of  the  301st  and 
the  302d.  Looking  down  the  hill,  one  can 
see  the  great  parade  ground,  or  drill  field,  which 
these  two  regiments  overlook. 

This  picture  illustrates  the  manner  in  which 
all  the  infantry  sites  are  laid  out.  For  instance, 
the  barracks  of  A  and  E  Companies  are  on 
the  main  street  below,  while  B,  C  and  D,  and 
G,  H  and  I,  are  situated  in  tiers  behind  them. 
One  of  the  officers'  quarters  is  seen  on  the  other 
side  of  the  road  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  The 
small  buildings  along  the  side  of  the  barracks 
are  latrines,  which  contain  the  toilets  and 
shower  baths. 


76 


A  Street  of  the  302D 


RETURNING  FROM  THE  TRENCHES 


At  seven-thirty  this  morning  a  detail  from  the 
302 d  Infantr^^  was  formed,  and  was  ordered 
to  don  overalls  and  take  picks  and  shovels,  in- 
stead of  rifles,  for  the  morning  drill.  The  iinit 
had  representatives  of  nearly  every  company 
in  the  regiment. 

"Squads  right,  march,"  commanded  the 
officer  in  charge,  and  the  column  moved  up  the 


road.  After  ten  minutes'  walk  the  men  arrived 
at  the  trenches,  and  spent  the  morning  in  dig- 
ging, and  receiving  instruction  in  the  forma- 
tion and  construction  of  trenches  from  the 
Canadian  and  French  officers.  It  is  Saturday 
noon  and  now  they  are  returning  to  their  bar- 
racks. For  most  of  them,  the  week's  work  is 
over,  and  a  day  and  a  half  of  rest  is  in  prospect. 


78 


A  Detau.  from  the  3020 


THE  303D  INFANTRY 


The  quarters  of  the  303  d  and  304th  Infantry 
are  at  some  distance  from  those  of  the  other 
two  units  of  infantry,  and  stretch  along  the 
road  which  runs  parallel  to  the  adjacent  Depot 
Brigade,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  camp. 
The  men  of  the  303  d  are  the  only  ones  at  Ayer 
who  were  not  residents  of  New  England;  they 
come  from  northeastern  New  York  state,  from 
Albany,  Schenectady,  Johnstown  and  other 
towns  and  cities  in  that  section.     In  imitation 


of  the  Boston  regiment,  they  call  themselves 
"New  York's  Own,"  but  from  the  jocular  man- 
ner with  which  they  pronounce  this  designa- 
tion, one  understands  that  they  do  not  mean  it 
seriously,  but  are  merely  poking  fun  at  their 
neighbors. 

The  company  in  the  picture  is  returning  to 
the  barracks  for  mess,  after  several  hours  of 
strenuous  "fatigue  duty."  The  regiment  is 
commanded  by  Colonel  J.  F.  Preston. 


80 


"When  the  Day's  Work  is  O'er" 


THE  304TH  INFANTRY 


From  Connecticut  comes  the  304th  Infantry, 
under  Colonel  J.  S.  Herron;  a  large  number  of 
its  men  were  formerly  employed  by  the  indus- 
trial plants  of  Bridgeport,  Hartford,  New 
Britain  and  Waterbury.  Some  of  the  men 
were  unable  to  speak  English,  and  others  had 
never  learned  to  write.  I  saw  the  roll  call  of 
Company  G,  commanded  by  Captain  Charles  D. 
Case;  parts  of  it  resembled  a  list  of  Russian 
fortresses  and  similarly  unpronounceable  names. 
The  sergeant  who  calls  the  roll  did  not  find  it 
easy  to  enunciate  clearly  patronyms  which 
begin  with  "Kryz-,"  or  "Crmn-".  These 
examples  are  by  no  means  exaggerated;  similar 
arrays  of  consonants  are  common  things  on  the 
company  rosters.  Such  conditions  are  not 
confined  to  this  regiment,  but  are  found  in  every 
organization  at  Ayer;  they  are  more  than  ordi- 
narily prevalent  in  the  304th  because  of  the 
large  nimiber  of  men  from  the  industrial  cities 
which  contributed  their  quota  to  that  unit. 

The  authorities  have  made  every  effort  to 
bring  to  these  men  of  foreign  birth  the  same 
knowledge  of  the  English  language  enjoyed  by 


their  native-born  comrades.  Schools  teaching 
written  and  spoken  English  were  formed,  and 
those  men  who  had  not  been  educated  were 
required  to  attend.  The  results  have  been 
remarkable,  as  the  pupils  have  shown,  from  the 
first,  a  keen  desire  to  learn.  And  although,  on 
account  of  their  lack  of  knowledge  of  English, 
they  were  at  first  somewhat  slow  in  mastering 
the  elements  of  drill,  they  soon  acquired  a 
proficiency  which  rivalled  that  of  their  Ameri- 
can-bom fellow  soldiers. 

It  is  hard  to  realize  that  many  members  of 
this  column  of  platoons,  which  is  now  marching 
like  a  veteran  body,  were  working  at  machines 
three  months  before  and  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  of  military  regulations.  Then  some  of  them 
could  not  understand  spoken  English,  and  their 
only  idea  of  discipline  was  that  of  the  factory. 
Now  they  are  living  under  better  conditions 
than  some  of  them  enjoyed  in  the  factory 
towns  from  which  they  came,  keeping  regular 
hours,  taking  continuous  exercise  and  eating 
good,  wholesome  food.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
they  make  such  a  good  showing  ? 


82 


A  Column  of  Platoons 


THE  REVIEW  OF  THE   304TH   INFANTRY 


In  a  military  cantonment,  reviews  of  regi- 
mental units  are  held  frequently,  both  for  the 
delectation  of  the  higher  officers  and  other  digni- 
taries, and  also  for  practice  in  mass  drilling  and 
formations.  These  pictures  present  the  general 
aspects  of  a  regimental  review. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  the  order  comes 
to  the  company  commanders  to  be  ready  for  a 
review  of  the  regiment  at  11.30.  Drill  is  ordi- 
narily suspended  and  the  men  are  given  an 
opportunity  to  clean  their  uniforms,  polish 
their  shoes,  and  prepare  their  rifles  and  equip- 
ment for  the  usually  attendant  inspection  by 
the  person  or  persons  in  honor  of  whom  the 
formality  is  held.  At  11. 15,  the  company  com- 
manders order  their  units  to  form  in  company 
Une.  He  then  conducts  an  informal  inspection 
of  the  men. 

(i)  "A"  company  has  just  formed  and  the 
captain  is  explaining  the  procedure  that  is  to 
follow.  At  the  same  time  the  other  companies 
are   likewise   forming   and  receiving  the  same 


instructions.  The  captain  then  marches  the 
company  to  the  place  where  the  battalion  is  to 
assemble.  He  reports  to  the  major,  who  takes 
charge  of  the  battalion,  and  marches  it  to  the 
designated  place  on  the  parade  ground. 

(2)  The  first  battalion  has  taken  its  place, 
and  the  line  in  the  rear  is  standing  at  attention. 

(3)  The  entire  regiment  is  now  in  position 
before  the  reviewing  stand.  An  officer  with  a 
megaphone  is  explaining  certain  details  which 
must  be  learned  before  the  next  formation. 

(4)  The  formality  being  over,  the  battalions 
are  returning  to  their  barracks  in  column  of 
platoons,  that  is  to  say,  several  squads  abreast. 
The  order  comes  "Platoon  right  by  squads." 
The  platoon  on  the  left  is  changing  its  formation 
and  instead  of  marching  in  platoon  line,  like  the 
second  unit  in  the  picture,  it  is  forming  a  column 
of  squads,  —  one  squad  behind  the  other,  the 
usual  marching  formation.  In  this  formation, 
the  captains  take  their  men  to  their  barracks. 


(i)    CoMrAxy  A,  304TH  Infantry 


(2)    Company  Front 


(3)    At  Attention 


(4)     "Platoon  Right  by  Squads" 


CAMP  ACTIVITIES 


(i)  The  Supply  Team 
Once  more  we  have  one  of  the  mule  teams; 
this  one  is  an  adjunct  to  the  Supply  Company 
of  the  303d  H.  F.  A.  The  transportation 
and  distribution  of  company  supplies  comes 
■Rathin  the  province  of  the  supply  company,  a 
unit  which  is  attached  to  each  regiment.  The 
men  usually  selected  for  this  organization  are 
those  who  have  had  previous  experience  in  tak- 
ing care  of  horses  and  mules,  or  in  driving  carts. 
In  the  regular  army,  the  supply  men  have  the 
longest  working  hours  of  any  enlisted  men  in 
the  service.  Directly  after  breakfast,  they 
harness  their  teams  and  drive  away;  they  do 
not  appear  again  at  their  quarters  until  supper 
time. 

(2)  Policing  the  Grounds 
The  word  "police,"  taken  as  a  verb,  means, 
in  military  parlance,  to  "clean  up."  The 
"policing"  of  a  mess  hall  signifies  the  sweep- 
ing of  the  floor  and  washing  of  the  tables.  The 
"policing"  of  the  camp  grounds  denotes  the 
cleaning  up  of  all  papers  and  rubbish  in  the 


vicinity.  Two  men  carry  a  box  or  a  sack  for 
the  refuse;  the  rest  pick  up  every  scrap  which 
might  arouse  the  wrath  of  the  vigilant  inspector 
or  sanitary  officer.  Here  we  have  a  group  of 
men  from  the  302d  Field  Artillery,  putting 
their  grounds  in  good  order  for  an  expected 
inspection  by  the  colonel. 

Throwing  the  Medicine  Ball 

(3)  Outdoor  games  are  often  substituted  for 
the  setting-up  exercises.  This  circle  of  men  from 
the  Signal  Corps  is  engaged  in  throwing  about  a 
heavy  medicine  ball.  The  physical  training  of 
the  camp  is  superintended  by  R.  F.  Nelligan,  a 
civilian  instructor,  who  was  formerly  the  Profes- 
sor of  Hygiene  and  Physical  Exercise  at  Amherst 
College.  Mr.  Nelligan  offered  his  services  to 
the  War  Department  and  was  sent  to  Ayer 
in  November. 

Marching 

(4)  The  fourth  picture  shows  the  first  bat- 
talion of  the  304th  Infantry,  which  is  about  to 
march  to  the  drill  field  for  practice  in  battalion 
formations  and  movements. 


86 


(i)     Supply  Team 


(2)     Police  Dlty 


TTTimmjofr 


(3)    "Tossing  the  Pill" 


(4)    A  Battalion  of  the  304TH 


DRILL  FIELD,  RANGE  AND  TRENCH 


(i)  "The  Prize  Squad" 
When  members  of  companies  I  and  K, 
302d  Infantry,  came  down  with  the  measles, 
the  other  members  of  the  unit  were  placed 
under  strict  quarantine.  In  order  to  prevent 
loss  of  valuable  time  while  waiting  for  the 
quarantine  to  be  lifted,  the  officers  took  groups 
to  isolated  parts  of  the  camp  and  conducted 
the  drills.  The  picture  shows  a  group  of  non- 
commissioned officers  of  the  two  companies  in- 
dulging in  a  quiet,  private  drill,  "far  from  the 
madding  crowd."  The  lieutenant  in  charge 
informed  me  that  they  were  the  "prize  squad 
of   the   camp." 

(2)     At  the  Trenches 
Men  from  the  303  d  Infantry  are  seen  digging 
a  first-line  trench.     While  one  shift  of  men  is 
working,    the    rest    receive    explanations    and 
instructions. 


(3)  The  30 1  ST  .'i.T  THE  Range 
This  picture  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  appear- 
ance of  the  rifle  range  in  the  afternoon.  The 
crowd  of  men  who  are  waiting  behind  the  firing 
line  are  from  the  301st  Infantry.  They  are 
on  the  hundred  yard  range,  and  the  men  are 
shooting  from  a  standing  position. 

(4)  Keeping  Warm 
When  the  temperature  drops  at  the  trenches, 
the  men  gather  brush  and  old  boards  and  do 
their  best  to  keep  warm.  The  large  number 
of  men  around  the  fire  is  good  proof  of  its  popu- 
larity at  the  present  chilly  moment.  When 
the  cold  becomes  intense,  the  captains  send  for 
hot  coffee  from  the  company  kitchens.  This  is 
brought  to  the  trenches  in  huge  boilers  by  the 
supply  wagons.  Such  acts  of  forethought  and 
kindness  to  the  men  are  indicative  of  the  spirit 
of  the  officers  at  Ayer ;  they  make  every  effort 
not  only  to  train  their  men,  but,  at  the  same 
time,  to  keep  them  comfortable  and  contented. 


88 


(i)     "The  Prize  Squad" 


(2)    A  Front  Line  Trench  Under  Construction 


(3)     "Commence  Firing" 


(4)    Only  Four  Below 


THE  RIFLE  RANGE 


After  the  camp  was  completed,  the  authori- 
ties scanned  the  neighborhood  for  a  suitable 
rifle  range  for  the  draft  men  and  eventually 
selected  an  immense  field  about  two  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  camp.  A  number  of  short  ranges 
were  established,  some  of  loo  yards,  some  of 
200,  and  others  equipped  with  apparatus  de- 
signed for  practice  with  low  calibre  rifles. 

Every  man  in  camp  will  take  his  turn  at  the 
ranges.  The  soldiers  go  for  practice  in  com- 
pany or  battalion  units,  and  their  efforts  are 
carefully  supervised  by  officers  and  expert 
riflemen.  For  those  who  are  unacquainted 
with  the  equipment  of  a  rifle  range,  a  short  des- 
cription might  be  welcome.  The  men  fire  from 
three  positions:  prone  (i.  e.  lying  on  the  stom- 
ach), kneeling,  and  from  a  standing  position. 
The  targets  have  a  black  bulls-eye  in  the  center, 
with  larger  rings  encircling  it.  A  bulls-eye 
counts  five  points,  and  the  corresponding  rings, 
four,  three,  and  two;  a  hit  on  any  part  of  the 


target  counts  two.  After  the  man  has  shot, 
the  markers,  who  are  in  a  trench  beneath  the 
targets,  pull  them  down  and  examine  them; 
then  they  raise  them  again  by  a  system  of  pul- 
leys, and  designate  with  a  disk,  which  is  on  a 
long  pole,  the  position  of  the  hit.  A  scorer, 
standing  behind  the  firing  line,  keeps  a  carefrd 
record  of  the  score.  Ten  shots  are  fired,  and 
the  percentage  is  figured  on  the  basis  of  a  pos- 
sible total  of  fifty. 

The  men  in  the  picture,  belonging  to  the 
304th  Infantry,  are  firing  from  a  trench  which 
is  an  exact  copy  of  a  firing  trench  on  the  western 
front.  When  standing  on  the  fioor  of  the 
trench,  the  soldiers  are  not  in  range  of  the 
enemy's  rifle  fire;  the  firing  step  enables  them 
to  shoot  over  the  top  of  the  parapet. 

The  scores  of  the  men  have  been  most  grati- 
fying; at  the  100-yard  range,  some  organizations 
of  the  304th  have  had  an  average  of  forty  out  of 
a  possible  fifty  points. 


90 


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MBq!^'^ 

^^ifln/ 

X'-«^:*ss 

r 

.s. 

S   \  fli^^V^^^^^^^B^. 

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k 

The  Firing  "Trench" 


THE   TRENCHES 


In  order  to  train  the  draft  men  under  con- 
ditions resembling  as  closely  as  possible  those 
that  they  will  later  encounter  in  France,  the 
authorities  have  ordered  that  a  complete  set  of 
trenches  be  built,  both  for  the  practice  in  con- 
structing them,  and  for  the  training  in  their 
use  which  will  follow.  All  the  men  of  the  line 
will  take  part  in  the  exercises.  Officers  and 
non-commissioned  officers  from  the  French  and 
Canadian  armies,  who  have  seen  active  service, 
and  realize  the  actual  conditions  of  trench  war- 
fare, are  supervising  this  work  at  Camp  Devens. 
The  United  States  has  no  standard  trenches; 
those  which  will  be  eventually  adopted  will  be 
a  combination  of  the  best  points  of  the  systems 
used  by  the  allied  forces.  The  trenches  at 
Ayer  are  really  only  experimental,  but  they 
answer  their  purpose  in  demonstrating  to  the 
infantrymen  the  characteristics  and  uses  of 
those  which  are  employed  at  the  western  front. 
The  soldier  will  learn  to  distinguish  the  first, 
second  and  third-line  trenches  and  the  communi- 


cation trenches  which  connect  thein.  He  will 
know  how  to  dig  the  trenches,  to  build  the 
firing  step,  the  berme,  the  parapet,  the  parados, 
and  he  will  become  acquainted  with  the  function 
of  each.  He  will  learn  how  to  build  dugouts, 
how  to  construct  revetments,  how  to  drain  the 
trenches,  and  many  other  details  which  are 
mysteries  to  the  uninitiated.  When  the  system 
is  completed  he  will  be  taught  to  defend  them, 
and  from  them  to  conduct  a  strong  offensive. 
No  matter  what  system  is  finally  adopted,  the 
men  from  Ayer  mil  have  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  fundamentals  of  trench  construction  and 
trench  warfare,  and  with  this  to  work  on,  they 
will  be  able  quickly  to  pick  up  whatever  new 
details  may  develop. 

The  picture  shows  some  men  of  the  303  d 
Infantry  in  a  communication  trench.  The 
wooden  frame-work  constitutes,  in  military 
parlance,  a  revetment  of  fascines,  which  has 
been  constructed  to  obviate  any  possibility  of 
a  cave-in. 


92 


A  Communication  Trench 


AROUND  THE   FIRE 


The  outside  temperatiire  of  New  England 
is  not  comfortable  during  the  winter  months. 
On  this  account,  many  people  have  attacked 
the  plan  of  the  War  Department  to  have 
a  camp  in  the  North ;  they  claimed  that 
the  men  would  be  subject  to  innumerable 
ills  on  account  of  the  rigorous  weather.  The 
authorities  have  had  one  great  object  —  to  keep 
the  men  in  their  own  districts  until  they  leave 
for  France.  According  to  this  plan,  the  men 
have  an  opportunity  to  go  home  frequently,  and 
their  friends  and  relatives  are  enabled  to  visit 
the  cantonments.  And  by  this  method,  the 
people  can  see  just  what  progress  the  men  are 
making;  the  mother  can  realize  the  great  care 
that  is  taken  of  her  boy,  and  the  benefit  which 
he  receives  day  by  day  from  the  training. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  a  southern  climate 
wotild  be  more  comfortable  for  the  Massa- 
chusetts men.  At  Ayer  it  is  cold,  but  the 
men  have  plenty  of  clothing  to  keep  them 
warm,  and  the  barracks  are  as  well  heated  as 


the  ordinary  home.  The  cold  weather  is 
exhilarating;  it  inures  the  men  who  have  al- 
ways lived  in  hot  houses  to  the  out-door 
life  of  winter  and  consequently  is  more  bene- 
ficial than  would  be  the  languorous  warmth 
of  the  South  or  the  variable  weather  conditions 
of  England  or  France.  And  above  all,  the 
Ayer  cantonment  enables  the  men  to  prepare 
for  war  at  home.  Few  would  exchange  this 
privilege  for  a  camp  in  another  section.  The 
people  see  their  boys  being  trained ;  they  do  not 
have  to  imagine  this  instruction,  as  though 
it  were  carried  on  in  some  vague  place  like 
Charlotte,  N.C.,  or  "Somewhere  in  France." 
In  every  way,  the  Ayer  cantonment  has  been 
a  monumental  success.  The  War  Department 
has  done  its  best,  the  camp  authorities  are  doing 
their  best,  and  the  spirit  of  enthusiasm  and 
intensity  of  the  enlisted  personnel  is  the  spirit 
which  will  make  them  the  best  citizen-soldiers 
that  the  world  has  ever  seen,  and  will  also  lead 
them  to  victory  and  a  glorious  peace. 


94 


'God  Bless  Us,  Every  One" 


WAR  DEPARTMENT 
PHOTOGRAPHER'S  PERMI 


Headquarters  76th  Division 

CAMP  DEVENS.  AVER.  MASS. 


Axferj.Masa. 


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General  scenes  showing  activities  nt  Camp  Deveos- 


\<-.  |-lli>Ti".R\niS  SIlOWLVr.  TTTE  ^'OLLO^^^'t:  sh.\u.  uk  :MAnF.: 


The  Permit  Given  the  Author  by  the 
Camp  Devens  Authorities 


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Cu  D.'frruo  Tnilnlnc  or  Cu  AppGi 
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Roger  flatchslder,     Harvard  Univeriitv,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
Small,  Maynard  t  Co. , 


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The  Permit  Given  the  Author  by  the 
Committee  on  Public  Information 


Censored 

Each  Picture  Taken  by  the  Author 

Was  Stamped  in  This  Way 


DATE  DUE 

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UNIVERSITY  PRODUCTS,  INC.   #859-5503 

BOSTON  COLLEGE 


3  9031    025  82536  5 


